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Lawrence Jones (businessman)

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British businessman For the American educator, see Laurence C. Jones. For the English blues rock musician, see Laurence Jones (musician).

Lawrence Jones
BornLawrence Nigel Jones
(1968-08-01) 1 August 1968 (age 56)
Denbigh, Wales
OccupationFormer director of UKFast
Years active1999–present
SpouseGail Jones
ChildrenFour daughters

Lawrence Nigel Jones (born 1 August 1968) is a British businessman and convicted rapist. Jones is best known for founding UKFast in 1999. In December 2023, Jones was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison for multiple criminal offences.

Early life

Lawrence Jones was born in Denbigh, North Wales. At seven years old he won a scholarship to sing and study music at Durham Chorister School before attending Ruthin School when he was 13 years old. At 16, he left home and moved to Manchester.

Career

After previously working as a hotel pianist, Jones formed UKFast with his partner Gail in 1999. The cloud hosting and colocation business operated a data centre complex in Trafford Park, Manchester, and had over 350 employees.

In May 2010, Jones joined the board of the Manchester Camerata.

Jones acquired Le Farinet Hotel in Swiss ski resort Verbier in September 2014.

In June 2017, Jones launched a podcast offering business advice and sharing inspirational stories from people including Sir Richard Branson, Gary Neville and Stacey Copeland.

In December 2018, Jones sold a 30% stake of UKFast for £205 million to private equity firm Inflexion and in May 2020, it was reported in The Financial Times that Jones and his wife "have both now left the business and will no longer have any role in it".

Allegations and criminal convictions

In October 2019, an investigation by the Financial Times reported that Jones faced multiple allegations by former employees of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault. Many of the allegations include claims of unwanted physical contact and verbal abuse in the work place and molestation whilst on company trips abroad. This resulted in his resignation and the prospect his wife Gail would become CEO. An internal investigation into the allegations started in late October 2019, which UKFast was quoted as "taking very seriously".

On 1 November 2019, Greater Manchester Police confirmed that they had interviewed Jones in relation to two allegations of sexual assault and that enquiries were ongoing.

In January 2021, Jones was charged with one count of rape and four counts of sexual assault. In April 2021, he was charged with a further count of rape. Trial for the first charges was initially scheduled for February 2022. His trial began in November 2023 at Manchester Crown Court in relation to two counts of alleged rape, said to have taken place in the 1990s. He was found guilty of both charges, following another guilty verdict earlier in the year of one sexual assault.

On 1 December 2023, Jones was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. Jones received a 14-year sentence for one of the rapes, a seven-year concurrent jail term for the second, and a 12-month consecutive custodial sentence for the sexual assault.

He was previously convicted in January 2023 of assaulting a female employee. A second trial in November 2023 found Jones guilty of drugging and raping two women when he was a hotel bar pianist in the 1990s.

Jones is currently being held in HM Prison Birmingham.

Personal life

Lawrence and Gail Jones have four daughters. They lived in Cheshire when Jones was convicted.

In 2001, Jones was caught in an avalanche whilst skiing off-piste in Alpe D'huez, France. Jones was resuscitated before being airlifted to Grenoble hospital.

He owns Castell Cidwm estate near the village of Betws Garmon; it was originally owned by the Marquis of Anglesey, who used the Castell Cidwm country house as his hunting lodge. He has built a wall that has prevented local people from accessing the lake, causing considerable local objections.

He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2015 New Years Honours List. In December 2024, Jones' MBE was 'cancelled and annulled' following his convictions for multiple offences.

Jones was awarded an honorary doctorate of business administration from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2016. In November 2023, a spokesperson for the university confirmed it had been 'formally rescinded' after Jones was convicted of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following two trials at Manchester Crown Court.

References

  1. "Ex-UKFast boss Lawrence Jones guilty of drugging and raping women". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  2. ^ Walker, Amy (1 December 2023). "Millionaire Lawrence Jones jailed for 15 YEARS". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  3. "National Business Awards Entrepreneur finalist focus: Lawrence Jones, UKFast". Business Matters Magazine. 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  4. Hughes, Owen (2013). "Entrepreneur targeting North Wales for cutting edge data centre". The Daily Post. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  5. ^ "'My Way' – UKFast's Director Lawrence Jones". Manchester Evening News. 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  6. "How I Made It: Lawrence Jones | MoneyMaker Magazine". Archived from the original on 4 June 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Ex-UKFast boss Lawrence Jones guilty of drugging and raping women". BBC News. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  8. "How Lawrence Jones Built UKFast into A Multi Million Pound Empire". Your Hidden Potential. 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  9. Finnegan, Matthew (2012). "UKFast launches new data centre complex in Manchester". techworld.com. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  10. Chapman, Stephen (2013). "UKFast invests £2m into family friendly working environment". Prolific North. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  11. "Lawrence Jones Joins Manchester Camerata Board". UKPRWIRE.
  12. "UKFast partners with Manchester Camerata". Manchester Camerata. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  13. "Lawrence Jones acquires first hotel in world-famous Swiss ski resort". Manchester Evening News. 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  14. "Lawrence Jones Mind Your Own Business Podcast".
  15. "Private equity firm acquires 30% stake in UKFast". Prolific North. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  16. "The darker side of a British tech baron". ft.com. 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  17. Yarwood, Sam (30 October 2019). "Lawrence Jones steps down as boss of UKFast following sexual misconduct claims". Manchester Evening News.
  18. "Lawrence Jones quits as UKFast chief after FT investigation". ft.com. 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  19. "Police confirm interview with UKFast boss Lawrence Jones". The Register./
  20. "Lawrence Jones: Former UKFast boss charged with rape". 5 January 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  21. "Lawrence Jones: Former UKFast boss faces second rape charge". BBC News. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  22. "Ex-UKFast boss Lawrence Jones drugged and raped women, jury hears". BBC News. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  23. Bardsley, Andrew (23 November 2023). "Rapist Lawrence Jones has already spent 10 months in jail after the first conviction". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  24. "Lawrence Jones: Ex-tech boss who drugged and raped women jailed". BBC News. 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  25. "Ex-UKFast boss Lawrence Jones guilty of drugging and raping women". BBC News. 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  26. Jailed millionaire rapist Lawrence Jones is teaching fellow inmates to read at 'hell hole' prison, retrieved 8 August 2024
  27. "The Cheshire Life Glitz List 2013". Cheshire Life. 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  28. "AVALANCHE TAUGHT LIFE LESSONS". dailypost.co.uk. 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  29. "Entrepreneur Targeting North Wales for cutting edge data centre". Daily Post. 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  30. "No. 61092". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2014. p. N21.
  31. 2015 New Year Honours List Archived 2 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  32. Gross, Anna (6 December 2024). "Tory donor Lord Ranger and tech baron Lawrence Jones lose UK honours". Financial Times. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  33. "ITV News". ITV News. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  34. Blakey, Ashlie (30 November 2023). "MMU strips Lawrence Jones of doctorate following rape convictions". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
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