Mark Langford, former chief executive of Manchester-based The Accident Group (TAG), was killed in a car crash in Spain on Monday.

According to reports, Langford was at the wheel of his car when it veered off the motorway near the Spanish resort of Marbella. No other cars were thought to be involved. He died in hospital later sparking a police investigation.

Langford fled to the continent after TAG collapsed with debts of £100m in 2003.

Langford became infamous after he sacked 2,500 staff via text message. The employees were later compensated by The Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) who paid out a massive £4m.

In March, Langford failed to appear at his bankruptcy hearing at London's High Court.

HM Customs and Excise was seeking to recover £1.84m from Langford in unpaid tax.

In his absence, Langford was represented by his lawyer, who claimed that Langford was suffering from “severe mental illness, leading to manic depression.”

The case was due to resume on 1 May and Langford was expected to present all late tax returns and settlement with the petition costs. His wife Deborah was also included in the action.

The DTI was also seeking to disqualify Langford as a director, while three other former TAG directors have already been disqualified.

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