A crooked businessman who cheated cash out of clients by running a West Midlands firm that carried on trading under a different name after going bust owing at least £144,000 has been jailed.

Andrew Yates was jailed for 15 months and was banned from acting as a company director for 10 years as a result of his actions.

Yates sent an e-mail to investors telling them business was booming five days before the firm went bust, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

The 46-year-old was the secret boss of water heater company Heizer (UK) Ltd based at Concept House in Elmore Green Road, Bloxwich, and used his mother’s ex husband, Barry Jones, as his front man.

Yates, whose ex-wife Marie is a former regional Businesswoman of the Year, had been banned from running a company after an earlier jailing for corrupt business practice but “completely ignored” the order, said prosecutor Miss Rhona Campbell.

When Heizer (UK) became insolvent and was wound up with over £144,000 worth of debts in July 2006, the business was taken over by a firm established less than four months earlier called Heizer (Bloxwich) Ltd, the court was told.

Miss Campbell said customers were “confused” into trading with the new firm.

Jones, aged 60, from Medway Road, Brownhills, was supposed to be the director of the company that was really run by Yates, of Sunnicot, Walsall Road, Muckley Corner.

Yates admitted being the shadow director of the company under both its names and Jones pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the offence.

Both admitted being involved with a company using a prohibited name.

Jones received a six month term suspended for 18 months, he was banned from being a director for five years.