Christopher Cully

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Christopher Nelson Cully

Christopher Nelson Cully (born 20 July 1959, Cambridge), known as "Chris Cully" is an ex-Special Branch officer turned private investigator and security commentator. He was part a network of companies investigated by Operation Millipede and currently runs his own security consultancy Dilitas Ltd.

He describes his specialities as:[1]

Investigations, Surveillance, Due Diligence, Conflict Resolution, Project Management, K & R [Kidnap and Rescue], Close Protection Services, Cyber Security, IT Forensics, ECM, Pre-employment Screening and Competitive Intelligence, Media Safety Training, Public Order Training & Delivery to Foreign Police Forces.

Early Career

Cully joined the Metropolitan Police in August 1978, serving first at Hounslow and Feltham police stations. He then became a Special Branch officer, posted to New Scotland Yard and then at Heathrow Airport as part of Special Branch's ports division. With Special Branch he was involved in intelligence and counter-terrorism work. Subsequently he was a detective at Shepherds Bush and Fulham, working in major crimes. He left the police in May 1985, an unusually short stint, with the rank of Detective Constable.[1]

1985-1989: 'Loss Prevention Manager' for Kentucky Fried Chicken, where responsibilities included development of a corporate loss prevention and risk management programme as well as ongoing security / risk management, and responsibility for investigations into contamination and extortion.[1]

September 1989 - February 1993: director of Saffrons Security & Communications Ltd, which provided alarms, CCTV and access control to clients.[1]

February 1996 - December 1999: London Security Manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers with responsibility for security, physical and otherwise of its six London offices. Also had responsibility for its crisis management and business continuity plans.[1]

January 2000 - January 2001: Director of Security & Facilities, Guilbert Ltd (the stationary company), managing the Security and Facilities departments.[1]

Greymans and Operation Millipede

From January 2001, Cully became Operations Director of Greymans Ltd, a private intelligence firm he helped co-found with former Parachute Regiment Major Mike O'Neill. The firm was described as '[specialising] in handling problems and security issues for celebrities and wealthy individuals discreetly'.[2] On LinkedIn, Cully says of his position there:[1]

  • Responsible for business development and management of all operations undertaken by the company. Also directly supervised and directed major investigations, project management and surveillance & CP tasks.

Greymans was caught up in Operation Millipede, a Serious Organised Crime Agency operation into illegal activity by a network of private investigators who were using unlawful means to acquire personal and confidential information for clients. In particular, they used the services of 'blagger' Dan Summers. In February 2012, Summers along with private investigators Philip Campbell Smith, Graham Freeman (both working as 'Brookmans International') and Adam John Spears were imprisoned for fraud in relation to this.[3]

During the trial it emerged that in 2008 Greymans had hired Summers' co-defendent John Spears to trace bank accounts relating to the singer Courtenay Love who had lost details of her UK accounts. Spears told Andy Driver, that he would get Summers to do a trawl of UK bank accounts to locate them on behalf of the popstar. Summers then used text-to-voice software to call her bank, pretending to be her, successfully locating a number of them.[4]

It was also revealed that Graymans was a regular client of Summers, who was contracted through Greyman's financial controller Andy Driver.[5] Though, when contacted by the Daily Mail, Cully denied that Summers had ever been hired by Greymans.[2]

Cully would leave Greymans at the end of 2010, and the firm closed in 2011 - though it has since reappeared under the name Optimal Risk. It is of note that for several months from January to April 2011, Cully and Dan Summers were joint directors / owners of a firm called Intoxify Hosting Ltd.[6] The two men both live in Kingston upon Thames, in south-west London.[7]

Dilitas Ltd

Logo of Dilitas Ltd

In January 2010 Cully establishes his own company, Dilitas Ltd, where he is given as Managing Director.[1]

The firm provides security & risk management, and lists the services it provides as due diligence, pre-employment screening, investigation services, security & loss prevention, close protection and residential security services. Its surveillance services include counter-surveillance and anti-surveillance teams, as well as penetration testing and technical services around counter measures.[8]

Its blog includes various commentary pieces from Cully (many republished at the Infologue.com website which focuses on news relating to the 'manned security' industry),[9] but also examples of the 'Dilitas International Security Briefing', mainly culled from open source material.

Cully's daughter, Hannah Cully, worked as 'Pre-Employment Screening Manager' for Dilitas Ltd (Feb-Aug 2010) & Greymans Ltd (2007-10), describing her work as:

I held a database of Human Resource contacts, which I built over time. My main responsibility was to confirm places of employment and education, of candidates that had applied for a job with any of my clients. Once this was complete I would report my findings to my client. Additionally, I was able to screen the candidates via Disclosure Scotland for any Criminal Records.

She was also Finance Manager for Dilitas Ltd for several months in 2010.[10]

IKOS hedge fund dispute

Dilitas recieved some public attention when the company was hired by Martin Coward as part of a dispute with his estranged wife, Elena Ambrosiadou, wealthy hedge-fund managers who had jointly founded the IKOS hedge fund, but subsequently fallen out. It is thought that Dilitas itself was hired through Chris Grierson of Hogan Lovells, Coward's UK lawyer.[11] It subsequently emerged that Ambrosiadou had also hired private investigators to monitor Coward, and both sides then took out lawsuits over this surveillance (Coward in May 2011, Ambrosiadou in September 2011[12]), though the cases were eventually dropped.

The suit by Ambrosiadou and Michalska accused Dilitas of covert surveillance and harassment. In particular, Ambrosiadou claimed that Coward had hired Dilitas to spy on the nanny of their children in an effort to find material that could be used to make her inform on Ambrosiadou.[5] Material Dilitas turned up on the nanny was a highly personal nature and she partook in Ambrosiadou's injunction against Dilitas and Cully. It was also alleged that Dilitas had an inside source within the hedge-fund, Ikos, which the investigation company was using to track Ambrosiadou's movements.[13] According to documents seen by The Telegraph, Dilitas referred to its work as Operation Argonaut, and gave the subjects names taken from letters of the Greek alphabet - Ambrosiadou being Target Delta, while the nanny was Target Bravo. Ambrosiadou stated she was placed under surveillance in London, Monaco and Cyprus in 2010, and in London several vehicles were used to follow her, including a Volkswagen Golf and Kawasaki Ninja. In another incident, one of Dilitas' team served Ambrosiadou a legal document while she was attending an awards ceremony in London. It also emerged that Cully had used Dan Summers to serve papers on Elena Ambrosiadou at one point (it is not clear if this is the same event as the one at the awards ceremony).[14]

Cully responded, denying he had harassed Ambrosiadou, saying that he had told his surveillance team to be overt and make their presence known.[13][12] He was represented by William Christopher of McGrigors in this matter.[13]

International Commercial Investment Ltd

Logo of International Commercial Investment Ltd

In late 2013 Cully took over International Commercial Investment Ltd (ICI), and is listed as the Director of the company on its website (July 2016), over seeing a small team of people.[15] ICI promotes investments in various property and other schemes, promising high returns and low risk in carefully worded brochures and advertisements, often aimed at pensioners. It is neither authorized or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority so people who invest in its schemes are not protected by the financial services compensation scheme (something it states on its website). It is based at Berkeley Square in London and shares an address with a similar company 'Investment Opportunities', also apparently run by Cully.[16]

In April 2015 it was exposed for marketing a questionable and misleading investment around an 'eco-village' being built in Norway, called the 'Convent in the Hills' - it promised 20% returns in a year and implied it was a secure investment.[16][17]

ICI was originally founded by Gary Ambrose (also known as Philip James Byfield) in June 2012. Cully's involvement appears to date from this time as ICI's website was registered by Cully in August 2012.[18] The apparent offices of the company is at Berkeley Square, London, it's registered address has been Peel House, 30 The Downs, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 2PX, an address at the centre of a complex network of companies run by Ambrose promoting various schemes of a questionable nature, which often collapse and lose investors their money.[19][20][21]

Though on paper Dilitas and ICI do not appear to be linked other than through Cully's management, a number of other connections can be established. One of Ambrose's business associates is Terence Willshere whose name appears as a director on associated companies.[22] He also has a LinkedIn webpage where he describes himself as the owner of Dilitas, Gibraltar, which is in the field of security and investigations.[23] Terence's wife, Sheila Willshere, who also appears in the network of companies, registered the web-domain of the now defunct site dilitas-gibraltar.com in 2011.[24] Another Willshere-Ambrose project promoting investments is EEC-Newsletter.com, which in turn also publishes security briefings from Dilitas.[25]

Companies

Details in some cases only given for period Cully was director. Addresses are often office suites, serviced offices, etc. used as correspondence addresses or are accountants for the various firms.

Company name and number Registered Address Dates Directors
Saffron Security Ltd (02637011)[26]; previously called Saffrons Site Watch Ltd 97 Church Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1UJ Incorporated 12 Aug 1991; dissolved Christopher Cully (12 Aug 1991 - 4 Dec 1992); John Frederick Reynolds (12 Aug 1991 - 8 July 1993); Gary Stephen Collins (8 July 1993 - end)
Saffrons Security & Communications Ltd (02249923),[27] previous name: Saffrons Security Ltd 97 Church Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1UJ Incorporated on 29 Apr 1988; dissolved Christopher Nelson Cully (29 Oct 1991 - ?); John Frederick Reynolds (29 Oct 1991 - ?); Vanessa Reynolds (29 Oct 1991 - ?)
Frailpot Ltd (01648237) 2 Castle Business Village, Station Road, Hampton, Middlesex, TW12 2BX Incorporated 5 July 1982; a residential property management company Numerous directors; Christopher Cully (1 Apr 1996 - 2 May 1997; occ: 'security manager')
Computag Ltd (02482753)[28] Incorporated 19 March 1992; dissolved by 1994. John Frederick Reynolds & Vanessa Reynolds (19 Mar 1992 - 30 Oct 1992); Christopher Cully & Nicola Cully (30 Oct 1992 - end)
Computag Property Marking Systems (U.k.) Limited (02328887)[29] Previously known as Slideplant Ltd Sterling House, 165-175 Farnham Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 4UZ Incorporated 15 Dec 1988; dissolved Christopher Nelson Cully, Nicola Cully & Clive Read (29 June 1991 - end)
Greymans Ltd (02849255)[30] Incorporated 31 Aug 1993; goes into voluntary liquidation 15 June 2010; dissolved 14 Sept 2011 79 Friern Park, North Finchley, London N12 9JA (until 7 Dec 2004); 3 Wesley Gate, Queens Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 4AP; an address for correspondence is Merlin House, Brunel Road, Theale, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 4AB. Michael Charles O'Neill (31 Aug 1993 - 14 Sept 2011); Christopher Cully (26 Aug 2003 - 14 Sept 2011); David John Mills, co-Chairman (15 July 2009 - 31 Dec 2009)
Optimal Risk Management Ltd (04499863)[31] Previously known as Graymans Security Management Ltd, Ibex Air Ltd & Forensic Recruitment Ltd. nature of business: investigation activities. Soanepoint, 6-8 Market Place, Reading, RG1 2EG Incorporated 31 July 2002 Michael Charles O'Neill (31 July 2002 - ); Christopher Cully (29 March 2006 - 30 Mar 2010); David Peter Lowe (31 July 2002 - 28 Nov 2005)
Secure Hotel Design Ltd (05570599)[32] 2nd Floor, 145-147 St. John Street, London, EC1V 4PY Incorporated 21 September 2005; dissolved 19 June 2007 Christopher Cully (21 Sept 2005 - end); Brian Stuart Findlay, architect (21 Sept 2005 - end); Lindy Connaughton (21 Sept 2005 - end); Michael Charles O'Neill (21 Sept 2005 - end);
Cannons Services Ltd (04356078)[33] 46 Albany Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3NY Incorporated 18 Jan 2002; dissolved 22 July 2003[34] Michael O'Neill (18 Jan 2002 - end); Christopher Cully (18 Jan 2002 - end)
Media Minders Ltd (04249941)[35] Merlin House, Brunel Road, Theale, Berkshire, RG7 4AB Incorporated 11 July 2001; dissolved. Michael Charles O'Neill (13 Aug 2001 - end); Christopher Cully (1 Nov 2001 - end)"; Hugh Wilkie MacMillan (13 Aug 2001 - 20 May 2002); Neil David Cloughley (13 Aug 2001 - 20 May 2002); William Edward Freear (13 Aug 2001 - 20 May 2002)
B Aware Ltd (04356087) 46 Albany Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3NY Incorporated 18 Jan 2002; dissolved 30 Sept 2003 Christopher Cully & Michael O'Neill (18 Jan 2002 - end)
Intoxify Hosting Ltd (07482552)[36] 73 Penrhyn Road, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, England KT1 2EQ incorporated 9 January 2011; application to strike off 13 April 2011; dissolved 9 August 2011 Daniel Summers (5 Jan 2011 - end)
Christopher Nelson Cully (5 Jan 2011 - end); owned 50% each.
Dilitas Ltd (07164093) [37] Suite 3, 73 Penrhyn Road, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 2EQ; its website dilitas.com lists its contact details as Unit 36, Chessington Business Centre, Cox Lane, Chessington, KT9 1SD, tel: 0207 397 5990 & 07775 667 977.[38] Incorporated 22 Feb 2010 Christopher Nelson Cully (22 Feb 2013 - ); sole shareholder
International Commercial Investments Ltd (08104097) 73 Penrhyn Road, Kingston, Surrey, United Kingdom, KT1 2EQ; Suite 7 Peel House, 30 The Downs, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 2PX; Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6BD; www.international-commercial-investment.com; tel: 0207 099 2870 Incorporated 13 June 2012 Christopher Nelson Cully (13 Nov 2013 - ); Gary Ambrose (13 June 2012 - 11 Dec 2013); company is initially 100% owned by Ambrose but that is then transferred to Cully.
UK Itags Ltd (08386930)[39]; nature of business: security system / services 14 David Mews, London, W1U 6EQ Incorporated 4 Feb 2013 Christopher Nelson Cully, security & risk manager (4 Feb 2013 - )

Affiliations & Qualifications

  • IQ Level 3 Award for Professional Investigators, June 2015.[1]
  • Close Protection licence, Security Industry Authority, December 2013.[1]
  • Physical Interventions to Disengagement, Mabyo, June 2012.[1]
  • Level 3 Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, City & Guilds, October 2013.[1]
  • Weapon Competency, Horizon Security Solutions, October 2013.[1]


Notes

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Christopher Cully, Profile, LinkedIn.com, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Abul Taher, Nick Craven, Robert Verkaik & Martin Delgado, REVEALED, 15 blue-chip firms linked to rogue private eyes... and kept secret by police: Bombshell evidence piles on pressure for Leveson to extend hacking inquiry beyond the media, Daily Mail, 25 August 2013 (accessed 7 March 2016).
  3. ↑ Tom Symonds, Private detectives given jail terms for 'blagging', BBC News Online, 27 February 2016 (accessed 7 March 2016).
  4. ↑ Bizarre case of Courtney Love and the UK fortune she ‘forgot’ about: Popstar convinced she has millions in accounts, Mail on Sunday, 31 August 2013 (accessed 10 March 2016).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Nick Craven & Martin Delgado, How the celebrity security fixers at the heart of secret 'hacking list' ordered notorious blagger to break the law, Mail on Sunday, 8 September 2013 (accessed 12 March 2016).
  6. ↑ Intoxify Hosting Ltd, Companies House records, undated (accessed 10 March 2016).
  7. ↑ Undercover Research Group; search of public records, 12 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Dilitas.com: Surveillance Services, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  9. ↑ See, for example: Chris Cully, Chris Cully: “Go ahead, punk. Make my day”, Infologue.com, October 2011 (accessed 12 March 2016).
  10. ↑ Hannah Cully, Profile, LinkedIn.com, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  11. ↑ IKOS, IKOS Wishes to Address Serious Allegations Contained in a Financial Times Article of December 16th 2011, PR Newswire, 19 December 2011 (accessed 12 March 2016). Grierson was later dismissed for defrauding his own law firm through false expense claims.Margaret Taylor, Ex-Hogan Lovells partner jailed for three years over £1.27m fraud, The Lawyer, 30 May 2012 (accessed 12 March 2016).
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Jonathan Russell, Elena Ambrosiadou in surveillance and harassment fight, The Telegraph, 3 September 2011 (accessed 13 March 2016).
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Graham Ruddick, Multi-millionairess claims estranged husband tried to turn nanny against her, The Telegraph, 19 November 2011 (accessed 13 March 2016).
  14. ↑ Anna White, Dashwood: Summers’ gaze falls on Elena’s divorce fight, The Telegraph, 4 March 2012 (accessed 13 March 2016).
  15. ↑ Meet The Team, International Commercial Investment Ltd, 2016 (accessed 12 March 2016).
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ruth Lythe, Would you invest in this forest? Investors and pensioners promised 20% returns from an eco village in Norway... Here's the truth, Daily Mail / Money Mail, 15 April 2015 (accessed 12 March 2016).
  17. ↑ (The scheme appeared on the ICI website and was later withdrawn as an offer - see here. It was run by Matthew and Charlotte Roberts.
  18. ↑ Search of WhoIs records for international-commercial-investment.com, conducted on 12 March 2016.
  19. ↑ Tony Hetherington, They want my money - is there trouble in store? Desperate sales pitch sets off the alarm bells, Financial Mail on Sunday / ThisIsMONEY.co.uk, 23 November 2013 (accessed 12 March 2016).
  20. ↑ Tony Hetherington, George Clooney and a horror movie offer, Financial Mail on Sunday / ThisIsMONEY.co.uk, 16 November 2013 (accessed 12 March 2016).
  21. ↑ Undercover Research Group: unpublished research (12 March 2016).
  22. ↑ Terence Willshire is a director of Ranald, Strachan & Stewart Ltd, along with 'Philip James Byfield', an alias of Ambrose - see Ranald, Strachan & Stewart Ltd, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016). Another such company is Self Sufficient Communities Ltd, and Byfield is listed as a director a third, related company EEC Newsletter Ltd.
  23. ↑ Terence Willshere, Profile, LinkedIn.com, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  24. ↑ DiliTas-Gibraltar.com, DomainTools.com], undated (paywalled; accessed March 2016).
  25. ↑ See for example the Dilitas Weekly Security Brief Monday April 28, 2014, published at EEC-Newsletter.com (viewd 12 March 2016).
  26. ↑ Saffron Security Ltd, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  27. ↑ Saffrons Security & Communications Ltd, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  28. ↑ Computag Ltd, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  29. ↑ Computag Property Marking Systems (U.k.) Limited, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  30. ↑ Greymans Limited, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  31. ↑ Optimal Risk Management Ltd, CompaniesHouse.gov.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  32. ↑ Secure Hotel Design Ltd, CompaniesList.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  33. ↑ Cannons Services Ltd, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  34. ↑ Cannons Services Ltd, CompaniesList.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  35. ↑ Media Minders Ltd, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  36. ↑ Intoxify Hosting Ltd, CompaniesHouse.gov.uk, undated (accessed 10 March 2016).
  37. ↑ Dilitas Ltd, CompaniesHouse.gov.uk, undated (accessed 10 March 2016).
  38. ↑ Dilitas.com homepage, undated (accessed 12 March 2016).
  39. ↑ UK Itags Ltd, CompaniesHouse.gov.uk, undated (accessed 10 March 2016).
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