Danny Butcher, the former soldier who committed suicide after attending a property investment training academy, has been mentioned in Parliament as part of a push to help ex-service personnel avoid get-rich-quick schemes.
Nick Fletcher, Conservative MP for Don Valley spoke about Butcher’s death while urging the Minister for Veteran Affairs to ensure ex-service personnel have guidance on how to avoid unscrupulous money-making schemes and are fully integrated into civilian life once discharged.
Fletcher wrote on his Facebook page:
“Today I asked the Minister for Veteran Affairs, Leo Docherty MP, what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is doing to ensure that departing service personnel are given guidance on how to avoid questionable money-making schemes and fully integrated into civilian life once they are discharged.
“This comes after the tragic suicide of Danny Butcher, a British Army veteran who sadly took his own life after investing in a dubious scheme that saw him lose his savings.
“I want to ensure that this does not happen to any veterans in the future.
“Our servicemen and women have put their life on the line to keep our country safe. It is therefore paramount that the MoD ensures that everyone who leaves the Armed Forces has the ability to thrive in civilian life, and I look forward to working with colleagues on this issue.
Minister Leo Docherty replied that his thoughts were with the family of Danny Butcher.
He added: “Every veteran’s suicide is an absolute tragedy, and we must seek to learn lessons from this. We are working to ensure that all service leavers have adequate financial educational awareness…specifically with regard to debt, household financial management and mortgages.”
‘Get rich quick’ property courses come under scrutiny after suicide of attendee
Comments (5)
Carriejones
I’m not able to speak on behalf of the entire property industry – but as an individual working within it I am deeply sorry for your family’s tragic loss. I would feel this way regardless of the circumstances, but that it be connected – however tenuously – with the property industry brings it somewhat closer.
I fully believe that had your brother made enquiries, no professional Estate Agent would have recommended he enlist on one of these courses – I would go as far as to say that he would have been told to steer well clear of them. I think my point is backed by the comments above, and on the previous article from January last year.
I know nothing can change the past, but if our industry could do more to warn people like Danny of the very real dangers of putting ones hopes into such dubious schemes as this, maybe another family will be saved your pain.
Best wishes to you and yours for the future.
I am Danny butchers sister. Danny paid for courses with property training and never received the value he was promised. When Danny questioned the company he got blocked from the groups and ignored. This cut Danny as he was now in debt with nothing for it. The company since has never contacted our family or even showes an ounce of remorse and even worse has not learnt from lessons that could have been put into practice. I now have lost my brother, a son lost his father, a young widow and my parents lost their son, all in the name of greed
About rime these snake oil salesman were regulated.
Such regulation would put most of them out of business.
That would be appropriate.
This also raise the question of bedroom agents networks under the impression they can earn big money.
Sigh….
If you wish to avoid this, pay service personnel more money so they don’t need to entertain these schemes (not that they’ll ever do that of course…).