The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has charged solicitor Richard Bloomfield with five counts of insider dealing related to shares of Seraphine Group PLC, the maternity fashion company that went from a splashy London Stock Exchange listing to administration in just a few years. The charges allege Bloomfield used confidential, price-sensitive information he accessed while working on the company’s acquisition.
Bloomfield appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 8 and was released on unconditional bail without entering a plea. His case is set to continue at Southwark Crown Court on August 5.
What happened with Seraphine
Seraphine, a maternity wear brand, listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021 with a valuation of roughly £150 million. By January 2023, private equity firm Mayfair Equity Partners swooped in with a take-private offer at 30p per share, and Seraphine was delisted. The alleged insider trading by Bloomfield occurred between March 28, 2022, and January 10, 2023, a window that lines up neatly with the period when the acquisition deal was being worked on behind closed doors.
Even after going private, Seraphine couldn’t right the ship. The company entered administration in July 2025, and retailer Next picked up its brand and intellectual property for £600,000. That’s a fall from £150 million to £600,000 in about four years.
