Cliff Stanford
Encyclopedia
Cliff Stanford, an accountant
from Southend-on-Sea
, was a co-founder of Demon Internet
, the first Internet Service Provider
in the United Kingdom
for individual subscribers. Stanford had spotted what he thought was a real business opportunity to profit from the incipient demand for access to the Internet and started Demon with a capital of just £20,000.
Following the sale of Demon Internet to Scottish Telecom in 1998 for £66m, he founded Redbus
Investments, a venture capital
firm involved in film production and a variety of other ventures. Redbus Investments provided seed capital for a number of investments including Redbus Interhouse
and Redbus Film Distribution. After a boardroom fall-out at Redbus Interhouse, he resigned in June 2002.
In 2003, whilst attempting to gather information about possible wrong-doings by the board of Redbus Interhouse, Stanford discovered and exposed more than £34m of assets of Dame Shirley Porter This resulted directly in her repaying £12m to Westminster Council.
In September 2005 he was convicted under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
of intercepting emails belonging to John Porter, son of Dame Shirley and then chairman of Redbus.
Despite pleading guilty, Stanford claimed that what he had done was legal as "someone on the inside ... put in a redirect". He was given a suspended sentence
, ordered to pay a fine of £20,000 and, in a later hearing, was denied leave to appeal.
Following the death of his uncle, Jack Speigel, who had for many years organised the entire annual Southend Easter chess congress, Stanford inaugurated an annual Jack Speigel Memorial Invitational Tournament, also at Easter and in Southend.
The first Redbus event and the first Speigel Memorial event were each won by James Plaskett
.
In 1999 Stanford also advanced funds to enable Plaskett to search for a giant octopus off the Bermudan coast.
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
from Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
, was a co-founder of Demon Internet
Demon Internet
Demon Internet is a British Internet Service Provider. It was one of the UK's earliest ISPs, especially targeting the "dialup" audience. It started on 1 June 1992 from an idea posted on CIX by Cliff Stanford of Demon Systems Ltd. The branch in the Netherlands started in 1996, and was sold to KPN...
, the first Internet Service Provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for individual subscribers. Stanford had spotted what he thought was a real business opportunity to profit from the incipient demand for access to the Internet and started Demon with a capital of just £20,000.
Following the sale of Demon Internet to Scottish Telecom in 1998 for £66m, he founded Redbus
Redbus
Redbus or Red Bus refer to:Corporate* Redbus Investments, formed by Cliff Stanford in the United Kingdom** Redbus Interhouse, a data-centre colocation operator in Europe*** Redbus Internet Exchange, formerly operating between Interhouse's data centres...
Investments, a venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm involved in film production and a variety of other ventures. Redbus Investments provided seed capital for a number of investments including Redbus Interhouse
Redbus Interhouse
Telecity Group plc , is a European carrier-neutral datacentre and Colocation centre provider. They specialise in the design, build and management of highly connected, resilient and secure environments in which customers can house their telecoms, internet and IT infrastructure...
and Redbus Film Distribution. After a boardroom fall-out at Redbus Interhouse, he resigned in June 2002.
In 2003, whilst attempting to gather information about possible wrong-doings by the board of Redbus Interhouse, Stanford discovered and exposed more than £34m of assets of Dame Shirley Porter This resulted directly in her repaying £12m to Westminster Council.
In September 2005 he was convicted under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, regulating the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation, and covering the interception of communications...
of intercepting emails belonging to John Porter, son of Dame Shirley and then chairman of Redbus.
Despite pleading guilty, Stanford claimed that what he had done was legal as "someone on the inside ... put in a redirect". He was given a suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
, ordered to pay a fine of £20,000 and, in a later hearing, was denied leave to appeal.
Family
Cliff Stanford has one son, Tony Stanford and is currently in a relationship with Sylvia Spruck Wrigley and stepfather to Connor Wrigley.Chess
Stanford is a chess enthusiast who had sponsored a REDBUS knockout Grandmaster chess event each Easter in Southend, commencing in 1999.Following the death of his uncle, Jack Speigel, who had for many years organised the entire annual Southend Easter chess congress, Stanford inaugurated an annual Jack Speigel Memorial Invitational Tournament, also at Easter and in Southend.
The first Redbus event and the first Speigel Memorial event were each won by James Plaskett
James Plaskett
Harold James Plaskett was British Chess Champion in 1990, awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1985, and is also a writer, blogger, sometime explorer/cryptozoologist and legal campaigner...
.
In 1999 Stanford also advanced funds to enable Plaskett to search for a giant octopus off the Bermudan coast.