Lecherous equity boss forced to pay £100k to a female executive he nicknamed ‘candy toes’ goes bankrupt BEFORE handing over compensation

A company executive has been declared bankrupt by a court following a campaign by a female executive who successfully sued him for £100,000 after he sexually harassed her.

Sex troublemaker Marc Bandemer, 61, has been declared bankrupt following a legal campaign led by Louise Crabtree, who was subjected to a year-long harassment campaign and said she felt ‘groomed’.

The 51-year-old mother of three said his constant advances had traumatized her so much that she now found it difficult to work with men.

Senior manager Ms Crabtree said Mr Bandemer, who was born in South Africa, treated her like his ‘property’, openly referred to her as his ‘second wife’ and physically pulled her onto his lap in front of his family and partner.

Mr Bandemer called her ‘naughty’, ‘brat’ and ‘girl’, looked at her body, bought her a ‘commitment’ ring, confessed his love for her and offered to buy them a ‘love nest’ in Cyprus.

Ms Crabtree was awarded compensation of £99,214 in 2024, but when she failed to receive her full wages she filed bankruptcy proceedings against him.

Now, thanks to her efforts, Ms. Crabtree has triumphed in Reading County Court and Mr. Bandemer has been declared bankrupt.

Ms Crabtree is celebrating the ‘justice’ she has received, although she accepts she may not receive her full compensation.

Ms Crabtree’s former boss, Marc Bandemer, was ordered to pay her £100,000 in damages after calling her ‘naughty’, ‘brat’ and ‘girl’, ogling her body and professing his love for her.

She says she hopes the case ‘inspires other women to speak out against sexual harassment’.

Ms Crabtree successfully sued Mr Bandemer and his company, Integer Wealth Global, for sexual harassment after she was ‘sacked’ from her £124,000-a-year job.

The allegation was heard that a month after she joined the Hampshire-based company in April 2021, Mr Bandemer began subjecting her to derogatory sexist comments that “crossed the line”.

He began saying inappropriate things, often in front of his customers, calling her ‘sugar fingers’ and saying: ‘Don’t you think she’s gorgeous?’

He said the pay increases made him feel ‘cared for’.

The harassment continued for months; Ms Crabtree felt ‘trapped’ as she did not want to lose her job, until he put his foot down and suspended her from the company in May 2022.

Ms Crabtree, of Romsey, Hants, told the 2024 tribunal: ‘The impact of the sexual harassment on my mental and physical health and the stress of him controlling me by not paying my wages affects me constantly to this day.

‘I have been hurt by his hostility towards me when I did not do as he said, or when I tried to address issues such as my pay, his behaviour, his comments, or the fear and intimidation he created when he demoted me, and I am finding it difficult to cope with his treatment of me.

‘His behavior towards me has affected my life financially, mentally and physically and it will take a long time to fully recover or regain my confidence if I decide to work for a company again.

‘I feel like I’m being looked at [Mr Bandemer] and I’m angry at myself for letting this happen.

‘After I was made redundant… the fear of suddenly having no income and not even offering me notice pay or holiday pay sent me into a panic.

‘I initially tried interviewing other potential employers but they were both men and I felt mentally I couldn’t work in an environment where my boss was a man.

‘This wasn’t a single event or a few; It was a constant emotional and physical rollercoaster of stress and anxiety that I had to endure and still have to endure.

‘No one can possibly understand the daily turmoil I’m in, even if I see my seemingly carefree reactions or dismissal of his advances, which for me is a means of survival.’

She won her employment tribunal case against him in 2024 and was awarded £100,000 in damages; but two years later he still received only half the wage.

Mr. Bandemer involved the Herrington Carmichael law firm in the case, but when the lawyer did not pay them, they joined Ms. Crabtree’s petition to be declared bankrupt.

They have now successfully filed for bankruptcy against the Hampshire-based business owner in Reading County Court in Berks.

Following the success, Ms Crabtree said: ‘This has been a long and time consuming process for me.

‘He himself has been made bankrupt and the next process will be a bankruptcy case.

‘The bailiffs started paying as they knocked on the door and entered the property and this was in June 2024.

‘He started paying and after paying about half the £100,000, bailiffs called him and said he would pay in November 2024 and then he disappeared again.

The harassment continued for months; Ms Crabtree felt ‘trapped’ because she didn’t want to lose her job, until May 2022 when he put his foot down and forced her away from the company.

Ms Crabtree said Mr Bandemer openly called her his “second wife” and physically pulled her onto his lap in front of his family and partner, treating her like his “property”.

‘He hid in his flat and did not answer the door. He said he has since lived in Cyprus but I know he lives in his flat in Basingstoke.

‘I spent all of 2025 dealing with this problem. Fortunately, Herrington Carmichael burst onto the scene in 2025. He used them to defy me and get a deal.

‘Herrington didn’t pay Carmichael and they obviously didn’t like that and said they were going to file the petition against him. I think he owes them around £25,000.

‘I’m really grateful they took this on, but it shows how much it costs to get justice.’

Ms Crabtree said Mr Bandemer now owed her around £60,000 in compensation and legal fees and even claimed he owed much more to around 20 people.

He said: ‘I think it will continue and continue. There are many people he owes money to.

It won’t end well for him and I think there is more to this story.

‘But you’ve only been bankrupt for a year, so I’m sure he’ll try to get out of it somehow.

‘He tried to smear my name but everything I said is based on facts and evidence.

‘He said my aim was only to ruin his name and career. But I guess he didn’t need help with that.’

Ms Crabtree said she accepted she would not receive her full compensation at this point, but for her it was simply about seeking justice.

He said: ‘At this point I pretty much know I’m not going to get paid.

‘I hope the outcome of the hearing gives others with similar concerns the confidence to seek advice and take appropriate action.

‘I hope this hearing will encourage potential victims to speak out about such behavior, especially at a time when many businesses, particularly the self-employed and those working in the consultancy or service sector, are vulnerable to exploitation.

‘This has never been just about getting back money owed. ‘This was about securing justice and helping to prevent harm to others.’

Mother-of-three Crabtree’s former boss declared bankruptcy before receiving full compensation for bombarding her with inappropriate messages

After a two-year legal battle, Ms Crabtree said: ‘It has been a relief but quite stressful to have this closed.

‘It affected me, my job and my children.

‘I did this for myself, but I also did it for other people in this situation. I hope this puts an end to it. I hope it shows others that cases are winnable.

‘I hope this case has raised awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace and inspired other women to speak out against it.’