George Reynolds: Ex-Darlington FC chairman with criminal past dies
Published
image captionGeorge Reynolds was back in the news in 2019 when he was found guilty of harassment
The former safe-breaker turned football club chairman George Reynolds has died.
Sunderland-born Mr Reynolds, who was in his 80s, took over Darlington FC in 1999 and built a 25,000-seat stadium on the edge of the town.
However, with average attendances of just 1,500, the club was never able to fill the venue and was eventually placed in administration.
Mr Reynolds left the Quakers in 2004 and the following year was sentenced to three years in jail for tax avoidance.
Death announced of businessman Galen Weston
Updated / Tuesday, 13 Apr 2021
22:02
He was 80 and died at home after a long illness.
Mr Weston helped build food, retail, and real estate companies across two continents, including the Selfridges Group that includes Brown Thomas and Arnotts.
His family s retail empire also includes a majority shareholding in Associated British Foods, the owner of Primark and Penneys, which he founded with his Dublin born wife Hilary in 1969.
The family also owns the largest stake in Loblaws, which Mr Weston is credited with transforming into Canada’s largest food and pharmacy chain. My father’s greatest gift was inspiring those around him to achieve more than they thought possible, said son Galen G. Weston, Chairman and CEO of George Weston Limited in a statement.
Tributes to ex-Darlington FC owner George Reynolds - who went from prison to meeting Trump and Oprah
The former safecracker, who was in his 80s, ran a multi-million pound business empire and at one point ranked at 112 on The Sunday Times Richlist
Updated
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