Alleged Patisserie Valerie fraudsters will not face trial until 2026

Four people accused of fraud after the collapse of bakery chain Patisserie Valerie will not face trial until 2026, a court heard.

Christopher Marsh, a former director and chief financial officer of Patisserie Holdings, the company behind Patisserie Valerie, and his wife, accountant Louise Marsh, were charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

Marsh’s former number two, financial controller Pritesh Mistry, and financial consultant Nilesh Lad, also face fraud charges.

An investigation was launched by the SFO in 2018 into a case which saw the bakery chain which, at one point, had 200 high street sites, tumble into administration with a £94m hole in its accounts in 2019.

The business ultimately closed 70 stores, with the loss of over 900 jobs, when its debts were revealed.

The four defendants sat in the dock at Southwark Crown Court, central London, on Tuesday, speaking only to confirm their names.

Christopher, 49, and Louise, 55, both from St Albans, Hertfordshire, Mistry, 41, from Leicester, and Lad, 50, from Harrow, north-west London, all face charges of conspiracy to defraud.

Christopher, Mistry and Lad also face five charges of fraud by false representation and one of making or supplying an article for use in fraud.

Christopher also faces a charge of making false representations as a company director.

None of the defendants were asked to enter any pleas on Tuesday.

All four were granted conditional bail and ordered not to contact each other, except for Christopher and Louise Marsh, who live together.

They will appear at the same court on 26 April next year to enter pleas and are scheduled for trial on 2 March 2026.

The remaining 96 Patisserie Valerie sites were sold to Irish private equity firm Causeway Capital Partners in February 2019 following the collapse of its parent company.

Accountancy firm Grant Thornton, which audited Patisserie Valerie for 12 years, was fined a reported £200m in 2022 for failing to spot any irregularities in its accounts.