A Moment of Madness

That's when things started to go seriously wrong with the business.

Frank and Maureen wanted to live a lifestyle like John and Monica.

In a short period of time they somehow managed to find the money to place a large deposit on a four bedroom detached house. The next thing they miraculously acquired was a new 3.0 litre Ford Granada.

So when the business overdraft crept up to a level that alerted the bank manager, they were asked to attend an urgent meeting at the bank with their accountants.

At the meeting the manager confirmed that the recent year ending accounts for the business had accrued substantial losses, and furthermore neither Mark nor Frank could give a satisfactory explanation for the deficit. To protect the banks interests the manager said that he had no alternative but to remove the business overdraft facility.

Without financial help from the bank it proved extremely difficult to continue trading and it soon became clear that if the economic situation couldn't be improved, the outcome of the business was inevitable.

Their accountants advised them that they had about six-months to correct their trading account otherwise they were looking at the probability of going into voluntary receivership.

The threats against the business didn't seem to register with Frank and Maureen.

They continued to socialise in the same upper class circles as their friends John and Monica Hastings, spending money irresponsibly, living well beyond their means and going about their lives as if the problems didn't exist. They even arranged to go on a Caribbean holiday with their friends and like a fool he agreed to take time off work to look after the business while they were away.

Because Jill was close to giving birth to their first child he was up to his neck in matrimonial duties as well as trying to balance the finances and the accruing debts of the failing business, all the time making sure that Jill never got to know the true reality of what was happening.

Late one evening after closing one of the newsagent shops he was just about to get into his car when he was approached by a couple of dodgy geezers.

They told him that they had a large quantity of cigarettes for sale and asked him if he was interested in doing a deal.

At first he was a little apprehensive, but after a quick calculation he realised that the return from the sale of the goods would substantially reduce the business deficit and also remove the underlying pressure that was constantly banging inside his head.

Trapped in a financial dilemma, the pressure and stress seriously affecting his home life with Jill, reaching a point where he was losing sleep and it was beginning to affect his health. Seeing no better alternative to get them out of a hole that was getting deeper by the day, any thought of what the consequences might bring never once entering his head.

The deal with the dodgy geezers was done.

Jill Brand gave birth to a baby girl.

Apart from the ongoing problems with his brother Frank and the business finances, life in the Brand household couldn't have been more fulfilling.

Motherhood seemed to come natural to Jill. She spent most of her time looking after their daughter Catherine, adapting to being a housewife, performing her maternal duties with the utmost care and attention.

Three weeks later and Frank and Maureen away on a week-end break in London with John and Monica, Gateshead CID swooped on both newsagents shops.

He was arrested and charged with receiving stolen goods.