allegations. The BBC defended its article robustly pointing out the absurdities of many of Mr Bennett's claims. Just before the trial, scheduled for July 2003 Starchaser backed down and said they would withdraw their case if the BBC agreed to pay Starchaser's costs. The BBC was prepared to go to court, especially given Starchaser's lack of confidence in their case, but in the interests of saving licence fee payer's money agreed to pay Starchaser's costs. The BBC did not issue Starchaser with an apology and continues to stand by its article, recently noting that 18 years after the original article Starchaser are no closer to getting into space. In 2014, it became known that a bookkeeper which had worked six years for the company had committed fraud by forging hundreds of money transfers to suppliers that never happened, diverting the funds to their own bank account. A total of £167,000 was stolen from the company. The crime was finally discovered when Starchaser Industries received debt letters from their landlords concerning money she allegedly had paid. See also List of private spaceflight companies References External links News items BBC Manchester in September 2008 Radio Manchester in September 2006 Visiting a welsh school in April 2005 Hereford & Worcester in September 2003 Starchaser Discovery in July 2000 Starchaser 3A in August 1999 Starchaser 3 in August 1998 Video clips Starchaser YouTube channel Ansari X Prize Companies based in Tameside Airlines established in 1992 Private spaceflight companies Science and technology in Greater Manchester Space programme of the United Kingdom Space tourism University of Salford 1992 establishments in England StarChaser Industries (In 2016) CEO, Steve Bennet, said: “We will be sending people into orbit in 2021.” This is not yet true, BUT they are close to sending humans into a sub-orbital place in space. With someone paying around £250,000-£270,000 for a window seat and another person paying around £96,000 for another seat on the rocket.