The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has welcomed the sentencing of Kenneth George Harrison following a decade-long investigation into the illegal supply of medical devices used in hospitals across the UK.
Harrison, 70, from Bolton, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on 23 September 2026 after being convicted of fraud offences relating to the supply of medical devices bearing invalid CE markings.
He received a three-year prison sentence, suspended for three years, alongside 175 hours of community service and 10 days of rehabilitation. He has also been disqualified from acting as a company director for eight years.
The convictions, announced in July, followed an investigation by the MHRA’s Devices Compliance Unit that began in 2013.
The investigation found that several medical devices, including enteral feeding pumps, gastrostomy button devices and blunt fill needles, had been supplied with invalid CE markings.
CE markings are used to show that a product complies with applicable European health, safety and environmental requirements.
In this case, the MHRA said the invalid markings gave healthcare providers false assurances that the devices had met the necessary safety standards.
During the investigation, the MHRA took a number of measures to protect patients, including issuing safety alerts, overseeing product recalls and instructing the company involved to stop supplying the devices.
James Pound, MHRA executive director of Innovation and Compliance, said the sentencing demonstrated the regulator’s commitment to enforcement against those who attempt to circumvent regulations designed to protect patients.
“Healthcare professionals need to be able to trust that the medical devices they use have been properly assessed and meet the standards designed to protect patients,” said Pound.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Harrison and Medicina Limited had made substantial sales from the products carrying fraudulent labels. Confiscation proceedings have also been commenced under the Proceeds of Crime Act to seek recovery of funds linked to the criminal activity.
