Consultant asked for backhanders

By HelenConway

Historic House Hotels has won a court judgment for compensation against a swimming pool consultant who tried to top up his fees by getting backhanders from equipment suppliers.

Liverpool's High Court of Justice ruled that Kai Jensen, trading as KWJ Designs, must pay the hotel group compensation of £6,400 plus costs.

Historic House Hotels chairman Richard Broyd said the sum represented damages in respect of the amount the contract price was inflated to cover the payouts to Mr Jensen, who has since disappeared without a trace.

He said the Danish-born freelance swimming pool consultant was paid a fee of "some thousands of pounds" to advise on the construction of pools in new leisure spas at Hartwell House hotel in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire (pictured), and at Bodysgallen Hall hotel in Llandudno, Gwynedd, in 1990.

But Mr Broyd said it emerged that Mr Jensen was putting pressure on equipment suppliers to give him back-handers in order to secure the work for them.

"Some honest contractors opted out of the process because they didn't want to know," said Mr Broyd.

He added that Mr Jensen had been uncovered only when one contractor, Graham Walmsley of Aquahome Pools Marketing at Percy Thrower's Garden Centre in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, made a complaint.

At the time, Mr Walmsley was president of the Swimming Pool and Allied Trade Association. He said he originally thought the fee demanded by Mr Jensen was his commission for the whole contract.

"Then I started getting telephone calls from suppliers saying that Mr Jensen had asked them for commission for specifying their equipment.

"He was looking for kickbacks from everybody. It was absolutely appalling," he said.

Mr Broyd said he doubted whether he would be able to recover the damages from Mr Jensen, but added he was keen to publicise the case.

"The prospects of getting our money are remarkably slight. The important thing is that he doesn't do it again."