A married finance executive who funnelled company money into a private life built on escorts, luxury spending and secrecy is now facing jail after a High Court judge ruled his conduct crossed well beyond financial misconduct and into outright contempt.
Mohammed Asif Khan, formerly employed by North of England Coachworks, was accused of misappropriating roughly £1.1 million from the business while operating in a senior financial role. Court proceedings revealed that around £160,000 of those funds were spent on escort services, including substantial payments to high-profile adult performer Gemma Massey, once branded Britain’s highest-paid porn star.
According to evidence presented before the High Court, Khan styled himself as the company’s director of finance and maintained control over cheque payments and transfers. Concerns emerged in 2019 when irregular transactions began surfacing across company accounts. After being questioned internally, Khan resigned.
Investigators later concluded that large sums had been diverted for personal use rather than legitimate business expenses. Barrister Sam Neaman, representing the company, told the court that payments traced to named escorts formed a significant portion of the losses.
Among them was Massey, a former dental nurse turned high-end escort, who had publicly claimed earnings at the top tier of Britain’s adult industry. Court documents described her as one of several women paid using company funds.
In 2024, Khan agreed to settle civil proceedings by consenting to a £500,000 judgment against him, acknowledging liability for fraud and breaches of trust. The agreement required repayment by August of that year. Despite the scale of the settlement, only around £550 has been returned.
The court heard that Khan instead pawned a £20,000 Rolex Daytona — an asset frozen under court order — in an attempt to shield it from recovery. Loan funds secured against the watch were routed through an undisclosed bank account before being transferred into his wife’s business to assist with a property purchase.
When former employers discovered the transaction, contempt proceedings were launched.
During testimony, Khan admitted feeling “shame” over spending company money on escorts but claimed his employers were broadly aware of his financial discretion. Pressed in court, he conceded no explicit permission had been granted for such expenses.
Delivering judgment, Mr Justice Jay ruled the breach deliberate and serious. The judge noted that pawning the watch was clearly intended to place assets beyond immediate recovery and criticised Khan’s failure to disclose financial accounts involved in the transfers.
“The seriousness of the matter is compounded,” the judge said, pointing to concealed funds and repeated violations of court orders. He added that suspending the sentence would fail to meet the court’s public duty.
Khan has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for contempt of court, though incarceration has been postponed until April 17 to allow time for an appeal.
It is a case that reads less like corporate negligence and more like a cautionary tale of excess — executive access, easy money, and the quiet assumption that nobody is watching until the numbers stop adding up.
Last modified: April 1, 2026
