Panorama can also reveal that Mr Saverimutto declared himself bankrupt in 1996.

Contacted by the BBC, Wirral Council said it was unaware and said it was the responsibility of the DfE to undertake due diligence checks.

However, the DfE confirmed that its due diligence checks did not examine the financial backgrounds of prospective owners of independent schools.

Mr Saverimutto’s company Life Schools Ltd, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of SHE Ltd in January 2024, never filed full accounts before liquidating it in August.

Life Schools Ltd and SHE CIC have gone into liquidation with combined liabilities of almost £500,000.

Since Panorama’s initial investigation, the school and gymnasium have closed, and three former school employees have been charged with offenses including assault and abusive behavior.

In October, one of these former staff, Elliot Millar, pleaded guilty at Wirral Magistrates’ Court to five offenses including common assault on an adult, public order offence, two counts of charge of assault and common assault.

Earlier this month he was jailed for 12 weeks.

In response to Panorama’s investigation, former director of the Disabled Children’s Council, Dame Christine Lenehan, said: “It cannot be acceptable that public money intended for children’s education is channeled into d other things.

“Local authorities have been tasked with providing children with an intensive education service.

“Children have not received this service and this is a fundamental abuse of public money.

“This is another example of a sector that is not regulated effectively.

“The original Panorama program revealed safeguarding failures, which now suggests a misuse of public funds.

“The whole system has failed.”

Wirral Council paid up to £150,000 a year for a pupil for eight hours of tuition a week.

For this student, it was stated that the school had not provided good value for money or provided the service agreed.