He was one of three people disqualified as directors for a total of 24 years, following a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) investigation.

Dawson gave an undertaking not to be a director or concerned in the management of a company for 10 years.

Along with Dawson, Julie Dawson, nee Rowe, also gave an undertaking for six years, along with Dawson's long-term business partner, Sandra Grant, AKA Sandra Arthurs and Sandra Brown, who gave an undertaking for eight years.

Steve Mepham, partner at credit checking agency National Print Database, said he had discussions with DTI officials concerning Dawson's companies over four years ago.

"What carnage has developed since then with Dawson and Grant, and how much have they earned?"

Mepham said the case was a nasty episode from start to finish, which involved millions of pounds.

"It's a living indictment of the failure of enforcement of the Insolvency Act," he said.

The DTI first became involved with Dawson as far back as 1994, when print consultancy Frisch Druck ceased trading prior to a DTI winding up petition.

This was after his trade printing and print-farming company Price Offset International went into voluntary liquidation in 1991 with 300,000 liabilities.

Dawson's chequered print industry career includes a multitude of companies including Frisch Druck, Print Legend, Price Legend Offset International, Boxing Clever, Intrepid Marketing and Lewis Knight & Associates.

According to the DTI all three defendant's accepted that their misconduct had made them unfit to be company directors.

Their misconduct included causing confusion and uncertainty about who was in charge at some of the companies, by failing to register themselves and using aliases and nominee directors. They also failed to keep proper accounting records.

The companies referred to in the investigation were:

Frisch Druck, formerly Print Legend, wound up by the DTI in 1994

Total Wipe Out, formerly Galacase, wound up in 1994

Boxing Clever also wound up in 1994

Millionaire Charters and Marine Related Services, formerly Price Legend Capital Assets wound up in 1994

Intrepid Marketing, wound up in 2001

UIG Sands, formerly O! Magazine Publishing Services, formerly O! magazine wound up in 2001

Horizon Network dissolved in 2002

Lewis Knight & Associates, dissolution pending

AAA Corporation wound up in 2002

Story by Andy Scott