FINANCIAL FRAUDSTER NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Judicial Integrity Under Siege – Part 1: Liquidator and Kingsley Wood Solicitor Accused of Brazen £322K High Court Fraud, Unmasking a Nexus of Deceit
LONDON, UK – 28 June 2025 – Financial Fraudster News Investigations, borne from a meticulous deep-dive into High Court documents and unprecedented whistleblower access, today launches the first part of a groundbreaking three-part series. This exclusive exposé lays bare a shocking alleged fraud perpetrated directly upon the High Court, a brazen act of deceit orchestrated by Liquidator Jonathan Harris Sinclair (of Judmick Estates Limited, in creditors’ voluntary liquidation) and allegedly aided and abetted by David Maxwell Middleburgh [below], a solicitor at firm Setfords Law [now Kingsley Wood a trading name of Sir Kingsley Wood Limited].
Our court reporting team has uncovered compelling evidence indicating that in Case No: KB-2022-003586, Mr. Sinclair, with Mr. Middleburgh's purported assistance, deliberately withheld service of crucial court papers and failed to provide legally required notice to two defendants. This egregious breach of Civil Procedure Rules was, astonishingly, overlooked or ignored by the then Senior Master of the High Court King's Bench, Barbara Fontaine, at a hearing on 23 March 2023.
This initial act of alleged fraud sets the stage for a wider scandal. Financial Fraudster News can exclusively reveal that Senior Master Fontaine herself is implicated, having made a controversial order on 2 December 2021, and appears to be in a disturbing collusion with Mr. Justice Sani, who issued a related order on 2 February 2022. The alleged actions of these senior judicial figures, allowing such purported abuses to flourish, will form the explosive core of Parts 2 and 3 of this series, raising profound questions about their competency, fitness to serve on the bench, and potential abuse of position and public office.
The £322K Black Hole: A Solicitor's Undertaking Betrayed
At the very heart of this alleged High Court deception lies a staggering sum of £321,830.34 plus interest. These funds were explicitly earmarked to be held in an escrow account, ring-fenced under a solemn solicitor's undertaking given by David Maxwell Middleburgh of Gallant Macmillan LLP (later Setfords Law) on 6 June 2011, for the sole benefit of Rodney Whiston-Dew. This undertaking was not a mere formality; it was a legally binding commitment relied upon by multiple parties, including Mr. Whiston-Dew as the sole beneficiary, as well as judges, Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Yet, despite this professional obligation, these funds appear to have vanished. Companies House filings concerning Judmick Estates Ltd's liquidation, where Jonathan Harris Sinclair acts as liquidator, reveal a shocking truth: since 2012, the purported funds have decreased, not increased, despite accruing interest – a chilling sign for Mr. Whiston-Dew and his creditors.
A Desperate Cover-Up: Lies, Obstruction, and Perversion of Justice
As the pressure mounted, particularly when a major creditor (owed over £3.3 million, and having obtained a judgment and charge against Mr. Whiston-Dew's assets) sought to charge assets held under the undertaking, suspicions of fraud intensified. The belief that the assets had been brazenly dissipated by the alleged corrupt lawyer and liquidator began to solidify.
Our investigation exposes a frantic, multi-pronged attempt to cover up the wrongdoing:
Fabricated Excuses to CPS: FFN has seen documents dated 19 August 2021, showing the CPS flatly rebuffed desperate attempts by Jonathan Harris Sinclair and David Maxwell Middleburgh to be released from the solicitor undertaking. They proffered "unconscionable excuses and fraudulent statements" why the funds would not be deposited with HMCTS, consistently refusing to pay, despite Mr. Whiston-Dew's prior consent. The CPS, in turn, wrote directly to Mr. Whiston-Dew, making it "absolutely clear that the assets held by the solicitors undertaking belonged unequivocally to Mr. Whiston-Dew."
False Beneficiary Claims: In a "last-ditched attempt to pervert the course of justice," Setfords Law and David Maxwell Middleburgh wrote to a creditor on 17 August 2021, falsely asserting that Mr. Whiston-Dew was, in fact, not the beneficiary. The clear motive behind this letter was the fraudulent attempt by Sinclair, Setfords Law, and Middleburgh to steal the funds held under the terms of the solicitor undertaking.
Fraudulent Liquidation Reports: Between 2012 and 2020, Jonathan Harris Sinclair, operating from a discreet Hendon, North London office, allegedly filed a series of fraudulent liquidator reports at Companies House. These actions, intended to mask his illicit activities and obstruct creditors and the CPS from recovering owed funds, constitute severe abuses of his position as liquidator.
Rodney Whiston-Dew: Caught in a Web of His Own?
In a stark twist, Rodney Whiston-Dew, a well-known celebrity trust lawyer with extensive experience in offshore centers, including the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands, where he worked with many companies and high net-worth individuals including the Churwitz Stanford AG 1957 Trust (whose Cayman Islands and UK SPV have been featured in cases, the latter remains a Whiston-Dew creditor), is portrayed in this specific context as the victim of the alleged £322,000 theft.
Mr. Whiston-Dew himself is no stranger to legal controversy, having been convicted in November 2017 for his part in a £64 million "green" tax fraud, resulting in a 10-year prison sentence and a £3,035,192.97 criminal confiscation order. Other co-conspirators in this scheme, including Michael Richards and Evdoros Demetriou, were collectively ordered to pay £17.7 million, with funds laundered internationally through secret trusts and luxury properties.
Despite his own past, Mr. Whiston-Dew is unequivocally the beneficiary of the £321,830.34 in the escrow account, funds that creditors are now attempting to recover. This situation creates a perverse irony where a convicted fraudster is now allegedly defrauded by those who were meant to safeguard his assets.
The Baseless Diversion: A Desperate Attempt to Shift Blame
Under increasing scrutiny, the dishonest liquidator, Jonathan Harris Sinclair, knowing a series of FFN articles had exposed his alleged false liquidation reports, allegedly resorted to another brazen fraudulent representation. He falsely claimed that because Mr. Whiston-Dew had used Ugland House in George Town, Cayman Islands (a widely recognized and significant address for approximately 18,857 corporate entities, in contrast to the less significant Jack and Jill Building where other entities operate), in his professional course of business, Mr. Whiston-Dew must therefore own Financial Fraudster News (owned by CP Capital Trust). This absurd and easily disproven fabrication, available in the filings made as liquidator for Judmick Estates, was a desperate attempt to divert attention from the demonstrable frauds he and his co-conspirators have allegedly perpetrated.
Systemic Corruption? Allegations of Broader Misconduct
The "irrational actions born of dishonesty" have driven Jonathan Harris Sinclair, Setfords Law, and David Maxwell Middleburgh to commit severe criminal offences. Their "blundering attempts to deny the existence of the undertaking are quite simply fraudulent misrepresentation and are the noose around their own necks," with "a prison sentence for any of the parties found to be involved and also for those found to be pulling the strings looms large and very, very real."
Financial Fraudster News has been informed that Setfords Law and David Maxwell Middleburgh will be reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and that the first of several civil actions are being brought directly against Jonathan Harris Sinclair.
This scandal further echoes the serious allegations emerging from other FFN investigations, such as the claims against HMRC Senior Solicitor John Wray and HMRC Fraud Investigator Lucy Craig, who are accused of "wilful gross misconduct," "gross negligence," and "fraud on Suffolk Magistrates' Court" in a separate £600k money laundering probe against Angelica Kinder. The apparent willingness of individuals in positions of trust within the UK's legal and governmental frameworks to allegedly engage in deception and abuse of power raises profound questions about systemic integrity.
Baroness Van Zuylen's Entanglement: Another Thread in the Fabric of Fraud
Adding another layer of complexity to the narrative surrounding Rodney Whiston-Dew, FFN Investigations has previously exposed Baroness Jacqueline Van Zuylen, who stands accused of sophisticated tax evasion. She allegedly disguised substantial income as loans from a trust (of which her daughter is a beneficiary) to fund a lavish and unsustainable lifestyle, all while wilfully failing to declare income and financially burdening UK taxpayers. Evidence suggests she played a "significant and direct role in instructing and demanding a series of loans from the trust via Rodney Whiston-Dew."
While Whiston-Dew, in his robust defence, denies scamming her and claims he "arranged [the trust] to preserve what was left of her money," stating she "owes more than £1m in loans to it," this separate, high-stakes legal battle further highlights the intricate financial world in which Whiston-Dew operated and the various legal pressures he faced from different directions. The Baroness's potential "Waterloo," if tax evasion is proven, could see her facing similar custodial sentences, further illustrating the consequences of alleged financial misconduct among the super-rich.
This is Part 1 of a critical series. The next instalments will delve deeper into the alleged judicial misconduct, particularly focusing on the roles of Senior Master Barbara Fontaine and Mr. Justice Sani, and their apparent involvement in allowing these alleged frauds to proceed, seemingly in collusion. This is set to expose an unparalleled abuse of position and public office fraud that will send shockwaves through the UK judiciary.
Financial Fraudster News has sought comment from Jonathan Harris Sinclair, Setfords Law, David Maxwell Middleburgh, and Rodney Whiston-Dew, all of whom have so far declined to comment.
For further inquiries, contact:
Financial Fraudster News Investigations
Now on X: @therealfinancialfraudsternews or @the_real_FFN
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