Belfast- A porn baron and his glamorous partner cut quite a dash at their showcase home in a quiet Co Antrim hamlet.
But Frank Young and Jane Culbertson could face some awkward questions, following raids on two sex shops linked to their empire.
Trading Standards seized hundreds of DVDs and videos when they swooped on the unlicensed Misstique and Private shops in Belfast’s Smithfield area, on February 7.
The last annual returns by Sharman Enterprises – the company name the shops operate under – were for the period ending March 2003, and showed total net assets of just £4,142.
Ms Culbertson was listed as company secretary, and a member of Mr Young’s family was named as a director.
But documents received by Company House, on February 14, showed there’d been quite a few changes in the company’s line-up.
Both the family member and Ms Culbertson had resigned, the latter on January 11. Mr Young was listed as having become company secretary on January 10, and then resigning as a director three days later.
Two other directors were also appointed. The address of one of them, Joseph Robinson, is listed as Belvedere Place, in Dublin – the same premises from where Mr Young operates one of his sex shops. But the raids – and the complexities of the company – could be the least of his worries, for Belfast council is set to launch a blitz on unlicensed sex shops.
Even worse, his jet-setting lifestyle has come under the scrutiny of the Inland Revenue.
Young and Culbertson live in a £350,000 house in Ballybogey, where locals have dubbed him ‘King of Sleaze’.
The former newspaper sales executive recently added a new Hummer 4×4 to his extensive collection of cars. He also has a £250,000 villa near Marbella.
He is known to have three shops in Dublin, as well as one in Glasgow. Most have been raided, but any summons issued would normally be in the name of a duty manager.
One former employee said: “Frank thinks he’s clever in trying to distance himself from the business, but his luck may have run out. The problem is, he’s made quite a few enemies and they are queuing up to spill the beans.”
Young was convicted four years ago of possessing illegal and unclassified adult porn at the two Belfast shops raided earlier this month.
He was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and fined £3,100.
Neither Young nor his partner were contactable last week.