Getting the measure of genius who was master manipulator

With decades of experience in the field he won the admiration of experts across the globe and thrust the work conducted in his laboratories at an anonymous-looking industrial unit in north Sheffield into the international spotlight.

But he had a second skill which perhaps eclipsed his professional abilities – that of master manipulator.

Inevitably, it was a skill revealed only after his death from a heart attack in late 2005 when the extent of his actions and the damage he did became apparent.

He had been general manager of South Yorkshire Trading Standards Unit since its inception and was undoubtedly among the leading scientists in his field, with a lifestyle which appeared to feature few other interests beyond work.

While the unit was set up with a primary function to provide services which local authorities must legally offer, Buckley expanded it into what appeared to be a thriving business.

The truth was very different, however, with the unit actually running up increasingly large debts which Buckley managed to keep hidden through his ability to manipulate those around him.

"He managed it by giving people what he knew they wanted," said an associate.

"His staff were very well looked after, in a good working environment where if they needed something then generally all they had to do was ask.

"That relied on no-one questioning Mike, however, because he presented himself as a god-like figure in that environment and his word went.

"For the authorities, he gave them prestige because the unit was very well regarded on an international basis.

"The businessmen that he dealt with also got regular and reliable trade, he gave them the profits they wanted to make."

Those business dealings were apparently legitimate in the early days of the department, but by the 1990s it seems it was no longer capable of supporting itself financially.

It was its legitimate background which allowed Buckley to pursue the dodgy deals that eventually left a financial black hole in excess of 13.5m

He was able to use a series of persuasive stories about shielding his unit's profits from auditors and accountants to convince business contacts to "hold" cash for him in lieu of supplying equipment.

On some occasions equipment was eventually ordered and supplied but on others Buckley made a "change of plan" and asked for the money to be returned, allowing the supplier to keep some money to cover their inconvenience.

Because the cash had to be paid to Sheffield Council, which ran the unit's finances, it appeared money was coming back in as profits for work done.

The problem was that leases were set up to cover the cost of Buckley's so-called purchases, which had to be paid year after year.

With little genuine income from its specialist work, the debts spiralled and by the time of his death a unit with an annual turnover of 3.5m had liabilities of 13.6m.

Buckley also created a mythical personal background, leaving none of his colleagues sure of any of his personal life other than the knowledge that he lived alone in Penistone.

He claimed to have been orphaned and been brought up on the estate of a stately home in Nottinghamshire, which was discredited when his mother was found to have survived her son following his funeral.

"I think the reason he lied about his background was that by creating his own past, it gave him total control of the situation," said his associate.

"Manipulating people was where Mike really excelled and he was able to do so because he was both highly plausible and gave people what they want."

Three men involved in Buckley's fraud yesterday admitted conspiracy to commit false accounting and were sentenced to 12 month prison sentences suspended for two years.

William Whitehead, David Abbott and Paul Liggins were also ordered to pay back hundreds of thousands of pounds they received for conspiring with Buckley in the scheme which was designed to make his trading standards unit look more successful than it actually was.

Debts and deceit that brought down Buckley's empire

South Yorkshire Trading Standards Unit was the ultimate victim of Mike Buckley's deceit, with the empire he created effectively destroyed by his actions.

The debts he had tried to conceal were discovered within days of his death and the decision to close the unit was finalised within months. Each of the four councils took in-house the services they are legally obliged to offer and the unit's laboratories at Chapeltown were shut down.

About two dozen staff were left to find jobs elsewhere but one of Mr Buckley's long-serving colleagues was also dismissed following a local authority investigation. It appeared, however, that he had been unaware of any problems in the department until after Buckley's death, and there was no suggestion of any criminal action on his part.