A Beckenham dance school owner raked in more than £12,000 from parents for dance teaching qualifications he wasn’t authorised to provide.

Alan Justice, of South Eden Park Road, has been handed a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work after being convicted of fraud.

He was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on June 3 after being found guilty of three separate counts of fraud and six counts of engaging in unfair commercial practice.

The parents of three young aspiring dancers paid course fees to HJA Performing Arts College in the belief that their daughters would get teaching qualifications accredited by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.

Ann Wilbourn, from Shirley, trusted Mr Justice when he told her about the diploma on offer at HJA Performing Arts College and her daughter is now left without a qualification.

She said: “I allowed my daughter to give up her A-Levels after the first year to join the course and pursue her dream.

“I will no longer take things at face value and in the future will always make thorough checks on what I am told and what I read.

“I would not want anyone else to go through what we have experienced.”

Maria Christodoulides, the mother of another of the young dancers, added: “I would advise any parent to check the accreditation of a college. “This can be done by contacting CDET, the Council for Dance Education and Training. “It's not only about the money but a waste of two years of my daughters training with absolutely nothing to show for it.

“My daughter had danced with Mr Justice since the age of 13 in his dance school and took many recognised dance exams, I had no reason to believe his college was not accredited as he claimed it was.”

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A Trading Standards investigation revealed the college was not authorised to offer these qualifications.

The investigation found the college was also falsely offering a Trinity College London musical theatre qualification.

Mr Justice was also using unauthorised logos from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, Trinity College London, Royal Academy of Dance and Council for Dance Education and Training on his website.

Kate Lymer, executive councillor for public protection and safety at Bromley Council, said: “The world of dance and performance is difficult enough to pursue without unscrupulous people taking advantage of parents and young hopefuls.

“We will not tolerate fraudulent business in the borough and worked with parents, students and national dance organisations to secure justice in this case.

“Although it should not be necessary, as this case shows, we would advise prospective students to carefully check the accreditations being offered with the relevant body.”