Mar 7 2005
A director of a company who used fear tactics and misleading advertising to sell vulnerable elderly people a 'cure' for prostate cancer has been disqualified from acting as a company director for 10 years following a DTI investigation.
David Lee, director of Blue Water Partners Ltd, which also traded under the name "The British Prostate Association", used UK newspapers and radio adverts to scare people into buying a treatment to prevent or cure prostate cancer.
When people responded to the adverts, they were sold a non-drug medicine called Prostectalin by Blue Water consultants, even if they had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer by a qualified doctor.
These consultants employed fear tactics such as convincing clients they were at risk of developing Prostate Cancer and claiming that there was a large death rate associated with the disease. They also discredited NHS prescribed medicines as not being as effective as Prostectalin.
The consultants had paid £6,800 to Blue Water Partnerships Ltd for the right to sell the product in return for commission on each bottle.
Enquiries showed that Blue Water had breached the Cancer Act 1939 and the Business Names Act 1985, employed misleading and/or improper advertisements and promotional material and traded to the detriment of creditors. Mr Lee also failed to co-operate with the investigation by refusing to reveal information such as names of company directors and the location of company documents to DTI investigators.
Following an application by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the High Court made an order disqualifying Mr Lee from acting in the management of a limited company for a period of 10 years, with effect from 21 February 2005. Mr Lee did not defend the proceedings.
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