Forensic Accountant
Shaun is a Chartered Certified Accountant with over 20 years direct experience as a forensic accountant specialising in commercial and criminal cases.
Shaun trained with a top 50 firm of Chartered Accountants in the South West of England, qualifying in 1991. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a Registered Auditor and a Fellow of The Academy of Experts. He is a TAE accredited mediator.
Overview
Over the last 20 years, Shaun has produced independent expert reports on numerous matters in both the civil and criminal fields.
Shaun accepts instructions from both Claimant and Defendant solicitors, Prosecution and Defence, barristers, insurers, companies and individuals.
Cases on which Shaun has been instructed include:
- Commercial claims • Share & business valuations
- Forensic insolvency • Professional negligence
- Personal injury & fatal accident • Matrimonial disputes
- Fraud & money laundering • Confiscation/Proceeds of crime
Shaun has provided reports as a single joint expert and as a party appointed expert, or where required as an expert advisor to either party.
He has given evidence in the High and Crown Court on numerous occasions. He is noted for the clarity of his reports and attention to detail, together with a pragmatic approach to cases.
Examples of cases are set out below:
Summary of career
- Following qualification as a Chartered Certified Accountant, Shaun started a management consultancy practice specialising in Local & Health Authority finances and special investigations.
- In 1994, he started his own accountancy practice providing business advisory, audit, accountancy and tax compliance services to SME businesses throughout the South West of England.
- From 1994, he commenced specialising in expert witness work and over the course of the next 12 years developed a specialist forensic accounting practice.
- In this role, he has covered corporate finance assignments involving due diligence, business sales and acquisitions, mergers and acquisitions, together with various litigation support assignments.
- In his role as Expert Witness, he has prepared reports across all disciplines and has given evidence in the Crown and High Courts and at Tribunals.
- In October 2006, he became managing director of S W Forensic Accounting Ltd with responsibility for the development of the firm’s forensic accounting and litigation support services.
- In October 2008, he was appointed a Partner in BTG Forensic (a division of the Begbies Traynor Group), subsequently leaving in September 2011 to set up the specialist forensic practice Matrix Forensic.
The following are examples of cases undertaken:
Commercial litigation
Reports on loss of profits, breach of contract and warranty claims, business and share valuations; dissolution of partnerships and other related claims. Example: report in respect of a claim against a landlord following a catastrophic fire at a nightclub allegedly caused by workmen instructed by the landlord. The case was dropped following the identification of accounting irregularities by the claimant and associated fraudulent insurance claims
Personal injury & medical negligence
Reports on loss of earnings, pension rights and dependency claims. Example: report as on the loss of earnings and promotion prospects for members of HM Forces injured on active service.
Professional negligence
Advice or opinions on liability in respect of the conduct and competence of accountants, auditors, tax advisers or financial services professionals. Example: report on the professional negligence of an auditor of a company following the reliance placed by the purchaser on the audited accounts that contained material misstatement of sales and assets, leading to a loss of £2.6m.
Forensic insolvency
Reports on claims under the Insolvency Act and Company Acts, including wrongful and fraudulent trading, illegal dividends, disqualification of directors and related matters. Example: report on the liquidation of the UK subsidiary of a USA registered company. Identifying irregularities in the valuation of stocks and the diversion of sales by the directors through a third-party company
Criminal and PoCA
Acting for the defence in numerous cases involving fraud, money laundering etc., together with the associated confiscation actions under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Example: report into the UK operations of a multi-million-pound Ponzi scheme based out of the Philippines.
Prosecution independent expert
Acting on behalf of the prosecution as an independent expert in respect of fraudulent accounting and related transactions. Example: assisting Devon & Cornwall Constabulary in relation to the prosecution of the directors of Crown Currency Exchange in respect of a £20m fraud relating to foreign exchange transactions affecting 13,000 customers.
Contact Matrix Legal Services
For further information, please contact Stephanie Kenyon on +44 (0)7801 994459 or through your local office on the following numbers:
London – 0203 463 1910
Birmingham – 0121 794 4325
Plymouth – 01752 202092
Cardiff – 02920 782915
