A magistrate from North Wales was today sentenced for fraud.
David Rees, 65, from Llandudno , claimed for salary he lost from his job at Conwy County Council when he sat as a magistrate.
Rees was employed as a superintendent registrar at the council and claimed the Financial Loss Allowance (FLA).
However, Rees of St Anne’s Gardens, did not lose income when he sat as a magistrate because council chiefs gave him paid leave.
Warrington Crown Court heard today that when challenged about the claims by a senior officer at the council, Rees said he would pay back the FLA to the council.
On his FLA claim forms to the court service, Rees stated, “I am paid by my employer whilst sitting in court but am required to claim as close to this as possible and pass the refund to them.”
In a later claim he said: “Whilst sitting in court I am paid by my employers but pay back the amount claimed as FLA when applicable.”
His claims were investigated by a fraud investigating officer at the courts service who discovered a discrepancy between the amount claimed by Rees and the amount paid back to the council.
The total shortfall was £9,839,93 yet, in his annual declaration, Rees said all of it was due to be paid back to the council.
Rees had sat as a magistrate on the adult bench at Llandudno Magistrates Court since 1995.
Today Rees was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment for each of six counts of fraud by false representation. The jail term was suspended for two years.
He must also do 280 hours of unpaid work and pay back the full amount of £9,839.93 to his employers and £3,000 in prosecution costs by May 3 this year.
"He didn’t lose any salary"
Richard Riley, senior crown prosecutor with Mersey-Cheshire Crown prosecution service, said: “Rees wasn’t paid for his work as a magistrate and the courts service reimburses those who lose money as a result of fulfilling their role.
“But Rees’s employers gave him paid leave to sit and he didn’t lose any salary.
“Rees said he paid all of the FLA back to the council but there are thousands of pounds unaccounted for.
“He said the arrangement was suggested by a council official when his role at the authority changed and he wasn’t able to claim overtime payments anymore.
“But there’s no record of that and the official he named is no longer alive.
“Rees was found guilty after a trial and his reputation is now in tatters.
“A formerly public spirited man who volunteered to help with the justice system has now been given a suspended jail term himself and he has only himself to blame.”
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/former-llandudno-magistrates-reputation-tatters-10843732
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