A High Court judge has thrown out allegations of fraud against five former directors SSL, the maker of Durex condoms and Scholl footwear.

The case centred on allegations of a trade-loading fraud and inflated profits at SSL. The High Court refused to override two previous rulings that there was insufficient evidence to bring a case against the five who included former chief executive Iain Cater, ex-group finance director Paul Sanders and Dieno George, formerly European managing director.