Sujanthan Sotheeswaran, Darren Peck and Denis Deegan were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court last week.

The three acted as ‘brokers’ on behalf of Choice Option and, later, Blue Crest Capital Options, where they would cold-call members of the public to persuade them to invest in a managed account scheme.

Financial records indicated that Sotheeswaran, Peck, and Deegan were among the top 20% of staff earners, receiving payments sourced directly from investors who were cold-called and pressured by the brokers into joining the scheme.