By ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER Published: 14:53 BST, 15 May 2026 | Updated: 16:42 BST, 15 May 2026
A disgraced multi-millionaire tech tycoon who was jailed for 15 years for rape and sexual assault has lost a bid to challenge his conviction.Lawrence Jones was handed a 15-year prison term in December 2023 after being found guilty of sex attacks on three women.He was convicted in January 2023 of sexually assaulting a female employee of UKFast on a business trip in 2013. The father-of-four was also convicted for drugging and raping two 'stupefied' women in the early 1990s while earning a living as a hotel pianist. At the Court of Appeal in London on Friday, judges dismissed his bid to challenge the first conviction.Mr Justice Saini, sitting with Lord Justice Popplewell and Judge Jeremy Richardson, said there was 'no arguable error' made by the judge during the trial at Manchester Crown Court.David Emanuel KC, for Jones, said the conviction was unsafe because the jury had been told about allegations of Jones using 'the N word' as part of evidence about his character.He said this created an 'irrecoverable prejudice' in the jury, but this was rejected by the judges. Lawrence Jones was handed a 15-year prison term in December 2023 after being found guilty of sex attacks on three women Jones set up web hosting provider UKFast with his wife Gail (pictured together) from a spare bedroom in September 1999. Here he shows off his MBE He was convicted in January 2023 of sexually assaulting a female employee of UKFast on a business trip in 2013. The father-of-four was also convicted for drugging and raping two 'stupefied' women in the early 1990s while earning a living as a hotel pianistMr Justice Saini said: 'The significance and offensiveness of the N word is well known.'He added: 'We do not consider that hearing this evidence would distract the jury from the central issues in the case.'The judge continued: 'For those reasons, we do not consider it is arguable that the conviction is unsafe. The application is refused.'Jones, from Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, was convicted following two trials at Manchester Crown Court in November, 2023.It was then revealed that Jones, who founded the Hulme based tech firm UK Fast, had already spent 10 months in jail after being convicted of sexual assault after another trial in January 2023.He was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room during a business trip for UKFast more than a decade ago.In the second trial later in the year, the court heard that Jones also attacked two women in the 1990s while he was a piano player in pubs and hotels across the city.Jones was sentenced to 14 years for the rape of Woman A, concurrently with a sentence of seven years in respect of the rape committed on Woman B.He was ordered to serve a year, consecutively, for sexual assault. A combined sentence of 15 years was handed down by Judge Sarah Johnston who told him he had behaved with 'entitlement, dominance and a total lack of regard for the rights and freedoms of women'. UKFast employed about 500 staff, including many young people, and its success led to Jones becoming an MBE in 2015 for services to the digital economy. However, he had this honour 'cancelled and annulled' by King Charles following his convictionsJones set up web hosting provider UKFast with his wife, Gail, from a spare bedroom in September 1999.The company went on to deal with more than 5,000 clients, including the NHS, the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office.UKFast employed about 500 staff, including many young people, and its success led to Jones becoming an MBE in 2015 for services to the digital economy.However, he had this honour 'cancelled and annulled' by King Charles following his convictions.Jones had built a reputation as a business guru, playing chess against Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island and regularly featuring on the BBC.
