So. Farewell then, Kevin Dunstall. At least until 2023, assuming this seven-year banning order does indeed seriously restrict his ability to get involved with the running of any print-related businesses.

Just before Christmas I was chatting to someone about the rather depressing topic of dodgy directors in print. Naturally Kevin’s name came up. We were bemoaning the fact that some people seem to be able to leave a trail of unpaid debts over and over again, and yet nothing seems to happen about it.

At least now, something has. An insolvency practitioner tells me that such action generally follows an IP’s report into the conduct of the directors, where there is something potentially averse to report. “There are many things that could be reported ranging from late filing of annual returns and non-co-operation with the practitioner right through to potential fraud,” he says.

The disqualification unit then decides whether to seek a disqualification order and gathers evidence to support that. It may or may not go to court.

On this basis, it seems odd that similar disqualifications haven’t been meted out to some of print’s serial offenders. Unfortunately, but for understandable reasons, the Insolvency Service cannot comment on individual cases in case it is prejudicial to any action.

The last time I spoke to Kevin was when he was made bankrupt last year. He asked me if his bankruptcy meant that “PrintWeek will leave me alone now”, or words to that effect. My answer still stands: it entirely depends on whether he ever gets involved with anything to do with printing ever again.