Conman lied about company to get £50k Covid cash

Rowatt took cash for Neilston homes he backed out of selling

- EDEL KENEALY

A construction boss, who took Renfrewshire families’ life savings before pulling out of the sale of several homes, has been banned from running companies for 11 years.

A probe found Jamie Rowatt - who was registered as a director of several companies on Companies House - had abused the Covid bounce back loan scheme aimed to help businesses through the pandemic.

The Insolvency Service said the 46-year-old, who splits his time between North Lanarkshire and Spain, claimed one of his companies, KR Clyde Valley's turnover was a whopping £1 million when it was actually zero.

The ban comes years after families told the Express they had handed over between £7k and £9k each for fixtures and fittings in Neilston homes he later backed out of selling; claiming the money could not be returned immediately due to financial difficulties.

Speaking after a judgement last week, Neil North, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said Rowatt showed a complete “disregard” for the significant responsibilities that come with being the director of a company.