Two men charged over UK funeral firm collapse that left 46,000 ‘out of pocket’

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Zoe WoodJanuary 22, 2026 at 06:59 PM

AI Summary

short article 2 min

Two men, Richard Wells and Neil Debenham, have been charged with conspiracy to defraud following the collapse of pre-paid funeral firm Safe Hands in 2022. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) brought the charges after investigating potential fraud at Safe Hands and its parent company, SHP Capital Holdings. Wells, a former director, and Debenham, a senior executive, are accused of defrauding approximately 46,000 customers who lost their funeral savings when the company went bust. Safe Hands failed to secure regulatory approval required for pre-paid funeral plan providers, leading to its collapse and leaving customers without funeral arrangements. The two men are scheduled to appear in Westminster magistrates court on February 5th.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Norwich 40% Spain 40% Westminster Magistrates Court 50% Emma Luxton ×260% Financial Conduct Authority 60% SHP Capital Holdings ×270% Richard Wells ×280% Neil Debenham ×280% Serious Fraud Office ×390% Safe Hands ×595%

Keywords

funeral firm collapse 90% safe hands 90% pre-paid funeral plans 80% fraud investigation 70% serious fraud office 60% conspiracy to defraud 60% regulatory approval 50% financial conduct authority 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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funeral firm collapse safe hands pre-paid funeral plans fraud investigation serious fraud office conspiracy to defraud regulatory approval financial conduct authority

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