The Apprentice candidate Thomas Skinner has spoken candidly about his past in which he was convicted of handling £40,000 of stolen goods.
The 28-year-old east Londoner sold himself to Lord Alan Sugar as a young man who was selling on the markets aged 16 and has since set up his own pillow company.
However, The Sun newspaper revealed he was charged with dishonestly handling 4,992 tubes of Body Shop cleansing gels, reportedly worth nearly £40,000 and having 2,000 diazepam tablet, and was later sentenced in court. His conviction has now been spent.
‘Many years ago before I had my business, I used to work on the markets. I was young and naive and bought stock from a source I didn’t know. I wasn’t aware the stock was stolen and paid the consequences for the mistake I made,’ Skinner has now admitted.
‘That is now well in my past, and I have had a string of successful companies since then. I now only buy from trusted sources and employ five people. I was put in situations I didn’t fully understand when I was younger.’
He added: ‘But they have made me the man I am now.
‘I am a changed man.’
A BBC spokesperson added: ‘DBS checks are done for all The Apprentice candidates by the production company ahead of filming.
‘A spent conviction is not disclosed under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Spent convictions are designed to help people move on in life and not be excluded from opportunities to help further their careers.’
Sixteen new hopefuls will take part in the new season of the hit BBC show including athletes, bakery owners, and a librarian.
Lord Sugar will be testing the candidates as they all attempt to win a £250,000 investment for their business, with the first episode taking place in Cape Town, South Africa.
In the premiere episode, candidates will be tasked with creating, setting up, and running bespoke tours around the outskirts of Cape Town – ranging from Safari tours to Vineyard excursions.
The opening episode will also run for an extended length, expanding by five minutes to a total runtime of 64 minutes for a special bumper premiere.
The Apprentice begins on Wednesday 2 October on BBC One at 9pm. The Apprentice You’re Fired will follow on BBC Two.
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