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The director of a Target Sports centre in St Leonards has denied fraudulently evading his pension duties, The Pensions Regulator said.

Lee Bartholomew, 44, of Lockside, Tonbridge, Kent, company director of 1066 Target Sports Ltd in St Leonards, appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court yesterday (Thursday, May 4) in a prosecution brought by The Pensions Regulator, a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added: “He denied a charge of fraudulently deducting money from employees’ salaries as pensions contributions and not paying it into the company’s pension scheme within a prescribed period.

“Employers who deduct pension contributions from employees are under a duty to pay those contributions to a pension scheme within a prescribed period under Section 49(8) of the Pensions Act 1995. Under Section 49(11), it is a criminal offence to fraudulently evade that duty.

“Mr Bartholomew also pleaded not guilty to a charge of failure to provide information requested under Sections 72 and 77 of the Pensions Act 2004.”

A plea and trial preparation hearing was fixed for June 1 at Lewes Crown Court.

St Leonards 1066 Target Sports Ltd director denies pension fraud