Patisserie Valerie former senior leaders trial set for March 2026 over conspiring charges

Former senior leaders of Patisserie Valerie’s criminal trial set for 2 March 2026 as arraignment was pushed back to next April.

Today, at a hearing at the Southwark Crown Court, four people who were charged over the collapse of the cafe brand were due to enter their plea deal but that was pushed back to 26 April 2024.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) brought changes against former chief financial officer Christopher Marsh, accountant Louise Marsh, financial controller Pritesh Mistry, and financial consultant Nileshkumar Lad in September.

Patisserie Valerie is a chain of high-street cafes that at one stage had 200 cafes across the UK. However, after its debts were revealed in October 2018, the company suspended trading and closed 70 stores, which caused the loss of over 900 jobs.

Between 2015 to 2018, the company reported holding £28m in accounts but following an investigation by the SFO, the company was found to have concealed £10m in debts from its investors and creditors.

The SFO charged all four suspects with conspiring to inflate the cash in Patisserie Holdings’ balance sheets and annual reports during that period of time, including by providing false documentation to the company’s auditors.

Lad, Mistry and Marsh were charged with five counts of fraud by false representation and one count of making and supplying articles for use in fraud. Marsh also had an additional charge of making false statements as a company director.

The defendants attended the first hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on 10 October, where District Judge Daniel Sternberg sent the case to the Southwark Crown Court today.

Judge Sternberg granted conditional bail to all defendants and ordered them not to contact each other, except for Christopher and Louise Marsh, who are married.