Is convicted ex accountant Darren Upton practicing?

[ContrataxLtd]

I'll add one more to my list of bullet-points above.

• You'd think, since Dynamo Accounts is with ICAEW, that any of the accountants on here who are members of ICAEW (and therefore care about its credibility) would be asking ICAEW to take this up with Dynamo as a matter of urgency. Because this is making me (and I'm not alone) doubt whether having a chartered accountant is worth anything, if they are intentionally or accidentally engaging Darren Upton.

I'm not sure if ICAEW could directly do anything about this as it is a speculative matter at the moment but they could be contacted to follow up if needed i'm sure. Dynamo Accounts is a trading name of Henton & Co LLP according to their website and all the active members of the LLP appear to hold practicing certificates with ICAEW.

As part of the ICAEW firm membership they will be (or should be) undertaking vetting of all staff each year from a 'fit and proper' perspective and this would be checked by their ICAEW visits which are at a maximum of every 6 years I believe but think these limits are changing at the moment.

Martin
Contratax Ltd

[Fred Bloggs]

I'm not sure if ICAEW could directly do anything about this as it is a speculative matter at the moment but they could be contacted to follow up if needed i'm sure. Dynamo Accounts is a trading name of Henton & Co LLP according to their website and all the active members of the LLP appear to hold practicing certificates with ICAEW.

As part of the ICAEW firm membership they will be (or should be) undertaking vetting of all staff each year from a 'fit and proper' perspective and this would be checked by their ICAEW visits which are at a maximum of every 6 years I believe but think these limits are changing at the moment.

Martin
Contratax Ltd

I seriously doubt anything could be or would done. It isn't a problem for a discharged ex-convict to work in a finance office is it? Like "We can assure you that if we did employ Mr Upton, it would be in a capacity where he would not be in a position to repeat his past mistakes" etc......

[Nigel Miller]

My colleague told me he has just left Fox Bartfield now.

The plot thickens...

He hasn't left Fox Bartfield. His LinkedIn isn't telling the truth.

[Invisiblehand]

He hasn't left Fox Bartfield. His LinkedIn isn't telling the truth.

How do you know that?

[Nigel Miller]

How do you know that?

He emailed a colleague yesterday.

[Invisiblehand]

He emailed a colleague yesterday.

I'm surprised your colleague is still using him.

[zonkkk]

I have found another Darren Roberts (accountant) - I assume he is not the same Darren Roberts we are talking about on this thread; but Daren Upton's new name (if true) may have been cunningly selected...

Darren Roberts FCCA | Barringtons | Accountants Stoke on Trent | Chartered Accountants in Staffordshire UK

[jbond007]

Ever since this thread picked up a bit of steam Darren@Fox Bartfield stopped posting and Dom@Fox Bartfield started contributing. Dom's linkedin shows he's ex-Dynamo as well. Surely, it would be useful for him to post on this thread, seeing that he's spent quite a few years working closely with Darren. The silence just keeps this thread going.

This thread cannot be good for both Dynamo and Fox Bartfield since neither have owned up or even defended that Darren that worked/works for them isn't Darren Upton.

Although one thing that I can't get around my head is - Darren Upton, since the scandal broke out, has been well known name in the contracting community and I would have thought more so in the accounting community especially those targeting contractors. Surely, if it was indeed Upton, no one at Dynamo noticed the similarities, seeing that Upton's picture is readily available on the internet ? Same for Fox Bartfield ?

[WordIsBond]

I seriously doubt anything could be or would done. It isn't a problem for a discharged ex-convict to work in a finance office is it? Like "We can assure you that if we did employ Mr Upton, it would be in a capacity where he would not be in a position to repeat his past mistakes" etc......

Probably not for a discharged ex-con. But his sentence wasn't up when he was at Dynamo (if it was him) which means he'd have been on licence, not discharged. If the Parole Board had been worth anything (a topic on which I'll not elaborate) then the terms of the licence could have been very problematic with all of this.

[mudskipper]

TBF, we don't yet know that this is the case - I have asked my accountant for confirmation or otherwise and will reserve judgement until her response.

FYI, the response from Dynamo to my email is as follows

"Darren Roberts ceased employment at Dynamo Accounts in April 2018. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot comment any further at this point. The company has invested in attracting talented professionals and the latest technology to move the business forward and continues to go from strength to strength helping contractors and small businesses across the UK."