Stephen Vaughan, controversial former football club owner, dies

Controversial ex-football club owner dies

38 minutes ago Share Save Jonny Humphries BBC News, Liverpool Share Save

BBC Stephen Vaughan snr owned Chester City, Barrow AFC and rugby league's Widnes Vikings in different periods

A controversial Merseyside businessman, boxing promoter and owner of football and rugby league clubs has died aged 62. Stephen Vaughan's death was announced by his son and business partner Stephen Vaughan Jr, who described him as his "hero". Mr Vaughan had spells as majority stakeholder in Chester City, Barrow AFC and Widnes Vikings. In 2009, while in charge at Chester, Mr Vaughan became the first person to fail the Football Association's 'fit and proper person' test over his involvement in a £500,000 VAT fraud.

Former professional boxer Derry Matthews, from Birkenhead, also paid tribute to his "first ever manager" - writing on Facebook: "No one could do a prep talk before a fight like you."

Stephen Vaughan resigned as chairman of Barrow AFC in 1997 after being suspected of involvement in a money laundering scheme - a case later dropped

Mr Vaughan was banned from acting as a company director for 10 years after an Insolvency Service investigation concluded he had been involved in a "carousel fraud" while a director at Widnes Vikings in 2006. Carousel frauds involve the cross-border trading of goods aimed at illegally reclaiming VAT. Widnes had entered into administration in October 2007 with liabilities of more than £1.6m. After the FA struck off Mr Vaughan in 2009, he was forced to handover the reigns at Chester and sold his stake to his son.

Prison sentence

Mr Vaughan took over Barrow FC in 1995. But he resigned as chair in 1997 after being named in a Customs and Excise money laundering probe centred around Liverpool drugs baron Curtis Warren. The case was eventually dropped and he returned as chairman before leaving the club permanently in 1998. In 2010 Mr Vaughan was convicted of an affray and the assault of a police officer in Wirral and received a 15 month prison sentence. He was released the following year and in 2012 moved to Malta, where he purchased local club Floriana FC and appointed Stephen Vaughan Jnr as chairman. In 2016, the pair were linked to a buy-out at Bangor City FC in North Wales, and Mr Vaughan Jr was player-manager until 2019.

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