The Manchester Evening News has scooped a double victory after two of its investigations resulted in two conmen being brought to justice on the same day.

The newspaper reported how 45-year-old lawyer Liaqat Malik had been struck off after being found guilty of dishonesty, while rogue businessman Chris Woodhead was convicted in his absence of 12 charges of theft after committing company fraud.

The dodgy dealings of both men came to light following undercover work by the paper’s investigation team.

Assistant news editor Sarah Lester said: “We’re delighted with the outcomes, it’s great when stories like this get results.

“One of the investigations began three years ago and the other was six years ago so that the fact that both the results came at the same time is amazing.

“We have a dedicated investigations team of two, who are free to get the inside story without the distraction of other work.

“Both these cases came from reader tip offs and it’s good for our readers to be able to see that we will look into their concerns and can get a result. We’ve had a lot of successes.”

After the paper passed a dossier of its findings about Malik to the Law Society, which had also been investigating him, the lawyer appeared before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in London, where the hearing found he had fraudulently claimed more than £750,000 in Legal Aid.

The MEN had also investigated Chris Woodhead, who the paper revealed was behind Midland Coating and Seal Point – companies which used scare tactics to make sales.

In 1998 a reporter posed as a trainee salesman, who was told that to get a sale they needed to make customers think “their house is falling down”.

A warrant has now been issued for Woodhead’s arrest after he disappeared before the start of his six-week trial at Leeds Crown Court.