Craig Cook, a well-known industry figure who once ran Cream Club, which supplied marketing services to estate agents, has lost the employment tribunal case brought by two former employees, Martin Seib and Oliver Hilton. George Turnball, initially a third claimant, did not pursue his claim.
The pair claimed over £3,000 was deducted from their wages – without authority – after they left his subsequent business venture, Property Collections Worldwide Ltd, formerly trading as Homebook.club Ltd.
The judge found that Cook was ‘extremely bitter’ about the staff leaving, claiming that there were justifiable reasons for the deductions.
The judge disagreed, saying:
“I find that Mr Cook has failed to prove that either claimant was absent from work and/or failing to work for the respondent during working hours.”
“As such, I find that the respondent did not have a lawful reason to fail to pay wages properly due to the claimants and was in breach of contract in not doing so.”
Following an Insolvency Service investigation into the collapse of his business Cook is currently banned from being a company director.
[The case is concluded as a result of further judgement in the matter, shown in an update posted on the Employment Tribunal website on 28th March 2022].
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