A High Court ruling has revealed that British parcel entrepreneur Jacob Corlett and his mother, Tamara Gregory, forged documents in an unsuccessful attempt to regain control of Yodel, the UK logistics firm.
Mr Justice Fancourt concluded that the pair conspired to falsify share warrant documents in a bid to overturn Yodel’s sale to Polish courier group InPost. The judge described the signatures on the disputed documents as “suspicious,” showing “many signs of forgery” and deemed them “probably forged,” citing expert handwriting analysis.
The judgment, published on Friday, also criticised Mr Corlett’s testimony, labelling him “a most unsatisfactory witness,” and stated the evidence strongly pointed to deliberate fabrication. Both he and his mother were found to have misled the court about the creation of the documents.
The ruling represents a major legal victory for InPost, which agreed a £106 million deal to acquire Yodel earlier this year. The acquisition had been overshadowed by months of uncertainty over Yodel’s ownership and financial stability. Mr Corlett had attempted to derail the takeover by claiming he held warrants entitling him to purchase over 60 percent of Yodel’s shares, which would have restored him as the company’s majority owner. The court rejected that claim, declaring the warrants invalid.
Michael Rouse, chief executive of InPost International, called the judgment “extraordinary” and said it fully vindicated the company’s position. He accused Mr Corlett of attempting to extract money from Yodel through “extreme” measures and said the decision safeguards the company and its shareholders. InPost is considering further legal action following the ruling.
The case is only one element of a broader legal dispute. Mr Corlett faces separate allegations of misappropriating millions of pounds from Yodel during his brief ownership last year, including accusations of asset stripping and diverting funds to companies linked to him and his mother. These claims are set to be examined in another High Court trial next year.
Yodel, which employs around 10,000 staff, was sold by the Barclay family to Mr Corlett in 2024 for £1, in an effort to prevent insolvency. Initially presented as a stabilising “white knight,” Mr Corlett quickly fell out with Yodel’s lenders and advisers, who claimed the company’s funds had been misused. Court filings detail payments exceeding £4 million directed to businesses associated with Mr Corlett and offshore transfers to a company owned by his mother in the Isle of Man.
Mr Corlett denies any wrongdoing, saying he was unaware of the disputed payments. A spokesperson for him said he was disappointed with the ruling and that his legal team is reviewing it to determine next steps.
For Yodel and InPost, the decision removes a significant cloud over the company and allows InPost to proceed with its plans for the UK delivery firm after a period of upheaval that threatened its survival.