The owner of an unregulated probate business has been jailed for a year after failing to explain where estate monies had gone. Stephen Jameson, sole director of Probate Specialist Ltd, was made subject to a freezing order in December over £432,000 unnaccounted for in the transfer of funds to his business following the death of a client in 2021.

PSL had been appointed to manage the administration of the estate but the executors initiated legal proceedings in March last year when they became aware the company was facing a strike-off application at Companies House, a county court judgment states.  The police were informed of a potential fraud but to date no charges have been brought.

The freezing order stated that Jameson had 14 days to disclose the whereabouts his company’s assets, but this was not met and the executors returned to court to make a contempt application.

In an affidavit Jameson said that he envisaged developing PSL into an automated business for managing probate and inheritance tax. But he also struggled with various disabilities, including eyesight problems preventing him from reading the December order.

Jameson told the court that he was aware of two accounts holding £144 in total and two other accounts with nil balances. He claimed that a business partner accountant called Michael Smith had access to the accounts and had misappropriated the money paid in for the estate. The executors did not accept that Michael Smith exists.

Jameson was found in contempt, having missed a last chance hearing earlier this month to deal with his case. He claimed he had found it difficult to park close to the court and then collapsed on his walk to the building. He gave no explanation why he did not phone his solicitors to explain these problems.

Sitting at Birmingham County Court in Estate of the Late Thomas George Heritage Mason v Probate Specialist Ltd & Anor, Recorder Adrian Jack said Jameson was in breach of the freezing order and he had not taken any proper steps to discover what had happened to the monies. The judge said he should be jailed for a year.

Extending the order to include various documents, the judge warned Jameson that if he failed to comply with that, then a longer sentence may be necessary.