Elia Bols (32) now living in Australia, was director of AMS Marketing Limited, a telephone marketing company incorporated in January 2016.

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS), however, received 71 complaints between October 2016 and October 2017 about AMS Marketing’s unsolicited calls. A further 32 complaints were received by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), who informed Elia Bols that a fine of £100,000 would be issued.

In April 2019, AMS Marketing was wound-up in the courts, with the fine outstanding. Further enquiries by the Official Receiver established that for just over a year between October 2016 and December 2017, Elia Bols’ had caused AMS Marketing to make more than 75,000 unsolicited direct marketing calls to numbers around the UK.

AMS Marketing Limited should have used the TPS list before making such calls to remove the numbers of individuals who had elected not to receive unsolicited contact.

On 28 October 2020, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Elia Bols after he did not dispute that he had caused his company to breach Regulation 21 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations in making the marketing calls.

Effective from 18 November 2020, Elia Bols is disqualified for 6 years from acting as a director or directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company.

Andy Curry, Head of Investigations at the ICO said:

Our work with the Insolvency Service has seen the successful disqualification of 17 directors who have shut their business down to try and avoid paying a fine for illegal marketing activity.

Nuisance calls, emails and texts can be a huge problem and often cause people real distress. By taking unscrupulous directors out of action, we can help protect the public and their privacy.

Robert Clarke, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Elia Bols had a complete disregard of protective regulations and thanks to the joint work with the ICO, we have secured a ban which reflects the seriousness of this offence.

When directors of a company do not comply with regulations that are designed to protect the public, we will fully investigate the circumstances and take action where appropriate.

Elia Bols is from Perth, Australia and his date of birth is April 1988.

He was the director of AMS Marketing Limited (Company number 09967423)

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of restrictions.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

Speaking at the Franco-British Council Defence Conference, the Defence Secretary announced a £184 million investment in the joint Maritime Mine Counter Measure (MMCM) programme, which will create new systems to combat sea mines and keep ships and personnel away from danger.

The contract will support 215 jobs across the UK at Thales sites in Somerset and Plymouth, as well as in the wider supply chain, including L3 Harris in Portsmouth, Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire and Alba Ultrasound in Glasgow.

This investment follows the substantial £16.5 billion settlement in the Spending Review for Defence over four years that will modernise the armed forces, reinvigorate the shipbuilding industry and bring jobs and prosperity to every part of the UK.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

This £184 million contract offers a huge leap forward for the Royal Navy’s autonomous capabilities in the detection and defeat of sea mines. As the Armed Forces puts modernisation at the heart of its future strategy, these systems will protect vital shipping lanes, commercial traffic and our brave personnel from these deadly devices.

The programme also underpins a deep and ever-strengthening relationship with France and marks the tenth anniversary of the Lancaster House treaties between our two nations.

UK-France defence cooperation

The Defence Secretary was speaking at this year’s virtual Franco-British Council Defence Conference, which also featured French defence minister Florence Parly, Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter and his French counterpart Ched d’État-Major des Armées François Lecointre.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the historic Lancaster House treaties on defence, security and nuclear cooperation between the UK and France. The historic commitment has established a long-term partnership between the two countries and includes the fully operational Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) – a force able to rapidly deploy over 10,000 personnel in response to a crisis.

Both nations are deployed around the world together in places such as the Middle East combating Daesh and in Estonia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence. In Mali, three RAF Chinooks and 100 UK personnel are deployed in a non-combat role in support of French counter-extremist operations.

Royal Navy minehunting

The Royal Navy is world leader in mine countermeasures, having been regularly called upon to deal with mines and other historic ordnance, left over from the Second World War, around the United Kingdom. In recent times, the UK has been involved in minehunting operations across the world, including the Gulf and off Libya.

Following a successful demonstration phase and trials completed in October 2020, the new contract will produce three sets of minehunting equipment, consisting of:

Autonomous vessel – a boat controlled and operated from a “mother ship/base.” Towed sonar – a sonar which is towed/dragged behind the vessel to locate ordnance. Mine neutralisation system – a remotely operated underwater vehicle which is used once the mine is located to neutralise the device and prevent its detonation.

When used together, these three elements are known as the Primary System. This next-generation mine hunting capability is designed to potentially replace conventional crewed mine hunting vessels, such as the Royal Navy’s Hunt and Sandown class ships, with autonomous systems.

First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin said:

I am enormously excited by the potential of the future minehunting capability. This will allow us to deliver minehunting more effectively, more efficiently and more safely, and to integrate even more closely with our French counterparts in this important area.

The UK element of the MMCM programme was negotiated by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK Ministry of Defence.

DE&S CEO Sir Simon Bollom said:

This ground-breaking technology brings with it a step-change in capability for the Royal Navy which is a bold step into the digital and autonomous world. I’m incredibly proud of DE&S and the Royal Navy team who have worked tirelessly with our French colleagues to deliver on this contract.

Alex Cresswell, CEO of Thales in the UK, said:

Technologies such as autonomy and AI are transforming societies and warfare at an exponential rate. This contract represents the next generation for Anglo-French minehunting, delivering a world leading capability that will keep our armed forces safe and create and secure vital jobs across the UK and our supply chain. We look forward to delivering the next stage in this exciting hi-tech programme.

The first equipment sets are due to be delivered in late 2022. It will commence operational evaluation prior to entering service with the Royal Navy.

The Secretary of State for Justice has announced appointments to the Youth Justice Board (YJB) of Susannah Hancock, Jacob Sakil and Louise Shorter for a period of 3 years who will commence their tenures on 1 December 2020.

The Secretary of State for Justice has also announced the reappointments of Ben Byrne, Sharon Gray, Neal Hazel and Keith Towler who will commence their tenures on 1 January 2021 for a period of 3 years.

YJB is a non-departmental public body, responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. As a non-departmental public body, its primary function is to monitor the operation of the youth justice system and the provision of youth justice services.

Appointments and reappointments to YJB are made by the Secretary of State for Justice and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. These appointments have been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Biographies

Appointments

Susannah Hancock

Susannah has been, since 2018, Chief Executive of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners which represents PCCs and wider policing governance bodies across England and Wales.  She was previously Assistant Chief Executive of the national charity Victim Support, and Chief Executive for the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in Essex. Between 2004-2008, she served as Head of London for the YJB.

Jacob Sakil

Jacob has been, since 2019, Strategic Development Lead for Connecting Conversations Collective where he currently leads on coordinating the Lambeth Youth Council to ensure children and young people have an accessible and transparent avenue to engage in local democracy. He is also a Youth Worker, School Governor, Youth Offending Service representative and a Advisor to the Young Mayor at Lewisham Council.

Louise Shorter

Louise is founder and investigator of Inside Justice, a registered charity which investigates alleged miscarriages of justice on behalf of prisoners who maintain their innocence; a Board Member of Inside Time, a not-for-profit newspaper for prisoners and an Associate Tutor at the School of Law, University of East Anglia.

Reappointments

Ben Byrne

Ben was first appointed as a YJB Member on 1 January 2018. He is strategic lead for improvement and innovation for the London Directors of Children’s Services. He was formerly responsible for Early Help, Family Services and Youth Justice at Surrey County Council. He is a qualified social worker who has been a youth justice practitioner. Ben is a trustee of the National Association for Youth Justice.

Sharon Gray

Sharon was first appointed as a YJB Member on 1 January 2018. She is an Education Consultant at Wholehearted Learning. She has worked with the SEND London Leadership Strategy and ‘engage in their future’ representing special schools (young people experiencing severe SEMH – social, emotional and mental health difficulties) across the country. She has been a member of the MoJ Medway Improvement Board, Ofsted inspector and a successful Head Teacher in special (SEMH) and mainstream schools for 21 years.

Neal Hazel

Neal was first appointed as a YJB Member on 1 January 2018. He is the Chair of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Salford, following posts as Director of the Salford Institute for Public Policy and Director of the Centre for Social Research at the University. Neal is also former HM Deputy Chief Inspector of Probation for England and Wales.

Keith Towler

Keith was first appointed as a YJB Member on 1 January 2018. He was previously the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and has acted as an independent consultant for children and young people’s rights. Keith is the Chair of the Interim Youth Work Board for Wales which is tasked with developing a sustainable delivery model for youth work services in Wales. He was a member of the International Play Association Working Group which assisted the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as the Family Justice Review.