Another UK MP pleads guilty to fraud

[Mr Lick]

11 January 2011 Last updated at 23:35 GMT



MPs'

expenses: Illsley urged to quit after guilty plea

Eric Illsley was re-elected in May 2010 with a majority of more than 11,000
Continue reading the main story Related stories

• Blog: What now for Barnsley?
• Profile: Eric Illsley
• Ex-MP jailed for expenses fraud

MP Eric Illsley is under pressure to stand down after admitting he fraudulently claimed more than £14,000 in parliamentary expenses.
He pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to three false accounting charges over claims for his second home.
The MP, already suspended by Labour, will be sentenced next month.
Labour leader Ed Miliband urged him to do the "right thing" and resign from Parliament, while David Cameron called Illsley's position "untenable".
Illsley was re-elected as Labour MP for Barnsley Central in May, but was suspended from the party after being charged shortly afterwards and now sits as an independent.
If Illsley receives a prison term of 12 months or more he will be disqualified from being an MP under the Representation of the People Act 1981.
'Very difficult'
But Mr Miliband urged his former colleague to act now, telling the BBC: "He's no longer a Labour Member of Parliament. I think he should do the right thing and resign as a Member of Parliament because I don't think he can be a credible voice for his constituents having pleaded guilty to such a serious offence."
Mr Cameron's spokesman said: "His personal view would be that it would be a very difficult situation where someone has defrauded the people they are there to represent. That is quite an untenable position."
Senior Labour backbencher Sir Stuart Bell said Parliament should act to "make him resign" if Illsley did not step down himself.
"I would wish a resolution on the floor of the House and the waiving of the sub judice rule so that we can deal with him and we can expel him," he told the BBC.
"This is a matter for Parliament, its reputation and what the public expect of us. Parliament should, for once in its life, stand up for itself and take the action necessary in the interests of the public."
On Friday, former Labour MP David Chaytor became the first person to be jailed over the Westminster expenses scandal.
Continue reading the main story Adam Fleming BBC News Political Correspondent
A prison sentence does not automatically mean the end of a career at Westminster. A sitting member of parliament is only disqualified if they serve more than a year behind bars while in office.
That happened just twice in the twentieth century. Peter Baker - former Conservative MP for South Norfolk - was the last to be barred after being sentenced to seven years for forgery in 1954.
In the mid-1970s Labour MP John Stonehouse was imprisoned after faking his own suicide. He resigned before he could be disqualified.
Sentencing in Eric Illsley's case is not expected until February.
If he is disqualified then the government will move a writ in Parliament allowing a by-election to be held in his seat of Barnsley Central.
Mr Illsley is entitled to remain as an MP if he receives a short or non-custodial sentence, which is sure to encourage those campaigners who are demanding the right to recall members of parliament who have been found guilty of serious wrong-doing.

• Robinson: Illsley's views on expenses

Illsley is the only serving MP among those facing court. He had previously denied dishonestly claiming more than £25,000 but his barrister, William Coker QC, said his client had admitted wrongly claiming a revised sum of about £14,500.
The expenses claims related to council tax, maintenance, repairs and utility bills for his second home in Kennington, south London, and were made between 2005 and 2008.
Simon Clements, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime division, said: "This was a significant sum of money and the grossly inflated claims he submitted could not be attributed to an oversight or accounting error - indeed he claimed that the expenses system was a way of supplementing members' salaries.
"By his guilty pleas he has accepted that he was dishonest in making these claims. As an elected representative, Eric Illsley took advantage of the trust placed in him by his constituents to act honourably on their behalf.
"Instead, he siphoned off public money into his own pockets and betrayed those who rightly expected the highest standards of integrity from him as a Member of Parliament."
Judge Mr Justice Saunders adjourned the hearing for four weeks for a pre-sentence report on Illsley.
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Shoppers in Barnsley give their views on MP Eric Illsley's admission of guilt

Backbench Labour MP John Mann said there was "obviously going to have to be a by-election" as it was "untenable" for Illsley to carry on as an MP.
He told the BBC News Channel it was "another bad day for Parliament" but he hoped it would demonstrate to the public that politicians were "not above the law".
Roy Millar, chairman of the Barnsley constituency Labour Party, said there would be meeting "in the future weeks and days" to consider a way forward.
"Eric has been a personal friend of mine for at least 25 years and he's been a very good servant to Barnsley and the people of Barnsley, representing them at all levels, but... we accept that the due process of the law will continue," he told BBC News.
David Chaytor was sentenced to 18 months in prison last week after admitting he forged tenancy documents and invoices to falsely claim more than £22,000 of taxpayers' money for rent and IT work from the Commons authorities.

[Mr Lick]

Another thieving, greasy northerner who hopefully will be sitting in a prison cell very shortly.

Says a lot about the guy when he can't bring himself to resign after pleading guilty. He really expects to continue to represent constituents after stealing money from them? Lets hope he gets expelled.

On the bright side there maybe a job waiting for him in the world of banking following his release.

[ItsRobsLife]

Fat, queer, crooked cnut...

[Butterfly]

these are small expenses, where are the big bonus being "abused" by those MPs ?

or is it a case to sacrifice the small to hide the big ones ?

[madjbs]

They were all at it anyhow, some were just a little more careful in how they did than others.

[harrybarracuda]

They're all guilty of fraud for claiming to represent their constituents.

[Bower]

You cannot defend these guys, its theft.
However there is a real danger here.
MP's have been paid suppresed salaries for many years, Cameron has now cut ministers pay. Compared to the private sector MPs are not well paid.
I would not like the UK to return to the days when when only the wealthy or union sponsored could afford to enter politics.

[the dogcatcher]

14K eh?
Buys alot of pies,.... ooo and mushy peas.

[superman]

Says a lot about the guy when he can't bring himself to resign after pleading guilty.

If he gets 12 months or less he can still do time and get paid his MP salary. Which is the reason why he hasn't resigned. The crafty cnut.

[harrybarracuda]

You cannot defend these guys, its theft.
However there is a real danger here.
MP's have been paid suppresed salaries for many years, Cameron has now cut ministers pay. Compared to the private sector MPs are not well paid.
I would not like the UK to return to the days when when only the wealthy or union sponsored could afford to enter politics.

Bullshit. Like the US, they get directorships and other little goodies that make being an MP a tidy little earner.

[Mr Lick]

^^ Yes, says a great deal about parliamentry members/committee when they can allow a representative of the people to serve a custodial sentence for a criminal act and remain in his post.

I believe that thieving from the public who are paying his salary may be seen as too much to bear for MP's on this occasion and a vote will be taken to oust the big bloater. Standards sir, Standards!!

[Bower]

You cannot defend these guys, its theft.
However there is a real danger here.
MP's have been paid suppresed salaries for many years, Cameron has now cut ministers pay. Compared to the private sector MPs are not well paid.
I would not like the UK to return to the days when when only the wealthy or union sponsored could afford to enter politics.

Bullshit. Like the US, they get directorships and other little goodies that make being an MP a tidy little earner.

We will see given time, very few get directorships of any worth.
Right now we have three party leaders with some personal wealth who have never had a real job outside politics.
If we want real thinkers with experience of life outside Westminster we will have to pay a proper salary.
Right now we get too many piddling little MPs, lightweights with little to offer.
Take Lembit Opik, that jerk was an MP for 13 years !

[crippen]

Wikipedia:- Illsley was first elected to the House of Commons in June 1987.



Before that he was an official in a large union.


He will have been on the 'fiddle' for all this time,but didn't realise the time had come to cease.

[CaptainNemo]

Another thieving, greasy northerner who hopefully will be sitting in a prison cell very shortly.

At least he's not a thieving greasy swaggering southerner.

[Bettyboo]

^ sotherners or the MPs?

the dunk stall could be an alternative for MPs, imo...

[Bower]

I would hazard a guess that there are very few Southern born MPs in the UK, most i have met are Northerners or Scots

[Mr Lick]

^ Therein lies the problem

[CaptainNemo]

^ Therein lies the problem

What? southerners hazarding guesses? You've probably met more northerners and scots because they're generally friendlier than snotty southerners.

"Democracy" is an unnecessary drain on the taxpayer, the time has come for a return to absolute monarchy.

[Mr Lick]

Yes, as a southerner i am well known for my snottyness although i have been known to eat a bag of chips (well, not actually in public, hidden down some alleyway just in case i get mistaken for a northerner)

[Mr Lick]

10 February 2011 Last updated at 17:27 GMT







MPs' expenses: Eric Illsley sentenced to year in jail

Illsley resigned as an MP before being sentenced
Continue reading the main story Related Stories

• Barnsley by-election date is set
• Disgraced expenses fraud MP quits
• Profile: Eric Illsley

Former MP Eric Illsley has been given a year's jail sentence for dishonestly claiming parliamentary expenses.
Illsley, 55, pleaded guilty to £14,000 of expenses fraud last month relating to claims he made for his second home between 2005 and 2008.
He becomes the second former MP, after once Labour colleague David Chaytor, to be jailed for expenses offences.
Mr Justice Saunders said Illsley had breached the "high degree of trust" placed in MPs by the public.
His jailing came on the same day as former Labour MP Jim Devine was found guilty on two counts of dishonestly claiming £8,385 of expenses by using false invoices for cleaning and printing work. Devine has yet to be sentenced.
Illsley pleaded guilty to three charges of false accounting, admitting to dishonestly claiming payments for insurance, repairs, utility bills and council tax at his second home between 2005 and 2008.
'Parliament tarnished'
Passing sentence in Southwark Crown Court, Mr Justice Saunders said Illsley received £100 a week on average than he was entitled to over a three-year period.
Illsley bore a "small but significant" responsibility, he added, for the decline in public trust in Parliament which had occurred as a result of the abuse of expenses by a number of now former MPs.
Continue reading the main story

He accepts, as he must, that ruin is what he deserves”

Quote- William Coker Counsel for Illsley


"The commission of the offences which came to light as a result of the police investigation into parliamentary expenses has tarnished the reputation of politicians and Parliament," he said.
"These offences were committed in breach of what was the high degree of trust placed in MPs by the authorities in the House of Commons only to make honest claims. It is vital that people feel able to trust our legislators and their use of public funds."
He received a shorter sentence than Chaytor, who is is serving an 18-month jail term after pleading guilty to making bogus claims.
Mr Justice Saunders said Illsley's offences were less serious as they involved smaller loss to the public purse and Illsley had not created "false documents to support the claims".
Illsley has apologised for his conduct and said he "deeply regretted" his actions.
'Ruined'
His lawyers had asked for a suspended sentence, acknowledging the publicity surrounding the case had "shamed" Illsley but arguing he was a "good man".
"Mr Illsley accepts that, for this case, a sentence of imprisonment is inevitable," William Coker QC, acting on Illsley's behalf, told the court.
"These convictions have, of course, ruined him. At his age, he sees very limited opportunities to make something of his life but he accepts, as he must, that ruin is what he deserves."
Illsley stood down as an MP before sentencing, his resignation triggering a by-election in the Barnsley Central constituency which he represented.
He was re-elected as a Labour MP last May, having first entered Parliament in 1987. He was suspended by Labour after being charged last year and subsequently sat as an independent.
Last month, Lord Taylor became the first member of the House of Lords to be convicted in relation to expenses fraud.
The former Conservative peer was found guilty of making £11,277 in false expenses claims in relation to travel costs between his Oxford home and Westminster and for subsistence for staying in London.

[Mr Lick]

Ex-MP Devine guilty of fiddling expenses



Mr Devine says he was advised he could claim on his communications allowance to cover staff costs
Continue reading the main story



Thu Feb 10 2011 19:19:45
Former Labour MP Jim Devine has been found guilty of fiddling his expenses but will have to wait to be sentenced.

Devine, 57, who held the Livingston seat, submitted false invoices for cleaning and printing work totalling £8,385.

He was found guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown Court of two charges of false accounting. He was cleared of one other count relating to £360 for cleaning work.

The former backbencher, of West Main Street, Bathgate, West Lothian, was the first MP to stand trial in the wake of the expenses scandal.

Devine was granted unconditional bail and the red-faced ex-politician walked with a slight limp out of the dock after he was dismissed by Mr Justice Saunders.

He told the court he acted on advice given to him with a "nod and a wink" during a boozy conversation in a House of Commons watering hole, and he even tried to pin the blame on his former office manager Marion Kinley.

The disgraced former union official told the court from the witness box he found Ms Kinley had paid herself an extra £1,000 in cash for overtime and £4,300 as a bonus.

He said he went straight to the fees office to take control of his account and shortly after, Ms Kinley went on sick leave.

But the jury saw through the defences put to them by Devine and convicted him on two of the three counts of false accounting he faced.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said the force welcomed the guilty verdicts, which he said came after "a thorough and detailed investigation of James Devine's parliamentary claims".

Matthew Sinclair, director of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers will be relieved that in another expenses case justice has been done. After dismissing the arrogant assertion that they were above the law, the courts have again rejected MPs' pathetic excuses for false claims."

[Mr Lick]

Former Livingston MP Jim Devine leaves prison




Former Labour MP Jim Devine has been released from prison after serving a quarter of his 16-month sentence for expenses fraud.

The ex-MP for Livingston was jailed in March after he was found guilty of claiming £8,385 using false invoices for cleaning and printing work.

He was released from Standford Hill Prison in Kent on Monday morning.
Devine is one of six parliamentarians - four former Labour MPs and two peers - to have been jailed for expenses fraud.

David Chaytor and Eric Illsley have both already been released under the home detention curfew scheme after serving a third and a quarter of their sentences respectively.

The fourth ex-MP, Elliot Morley, remains in prison, along with Conservative peers Lord Taylor and Lord Hanningfield.

At his trial, the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, said Devine, 57, had "set about defrauding the public purse in a calculated and deliberate way".

He said cleaning and maintenance work claimed for by Devine was either not done at all or not paid for by Devine, and that invoices submitted for printing work were "entirely bogus".

And he said Devine had been "lying in significant parts of the evidence that he gave" during his court case.

In mitigation, Devine's lawyer said the fraud had been "entirely out of character" and prison would "bear heavily on him".

Devine was declared bankrupt in April, following a separate hearing at Livingston Sheriff Court.

The insolvency order was made after he failed to pay his former office manager Marion Kinley £35,000 for unfair dismissal.

[alwarner]

these are small expenses, where are the big bonus being "abused" by those MPs ?

or is it a case to sacrifice the small to hide the big ones ?

loy percent.

[peterpan]

He's 57 !
by the look of his red fat fuck face he's not going to be around much longer.

[Mr Lick]

Ex-MP Denis MacShane pleads guilty over expenses



Mr MacShane quit as an MP last year

Ex-Labour MP Denis MacShane has pleaded guilty to false accounting over parliamentary expenses.

During a hearing at the Old Bailey in London, Mr MacShane admitted false accounting by putting in fake receipts for £12,900 of "research and translation" services.

The former Europe minister used the money to fund trips to the continent.

Sentencing was adjourned until 19 December. He was granted unconditional bail.

Mr Justice Sweeney told MacShane, 65, that "all sentencing options remain open".

The maximum sentence for false accounting is seven years.


MacShane was an MP for 18 years, entering Parliament in a by-election in 1994.

• He served as Europe minister under Tony Blair between 2002 and 2005
• Prior to entering politics, he worked for the BBC and the International Metalworkers Federation
• His father was Polish and he changed his surname from Matyjaszek to his Irish mother's maiden name
• He has been married twice and has also had relationships with broadcaster Carol Barnes and writer Joan Smith

Denis MacShane was one of the most prominent pro-Europeans during the last Labour government

The BBC's political correspondent Chris Mason said MacShane entered his guilty plea during a short appearance on Monday, admitting filing 19 fraudulent invoices between January 2005 and January 2008.

The Commons authorities began looking at his claims in 2009 and referred the matter to police within months after identifying potential criminal activity.

But the long-standing principle of parliamentary privilege meant detectives were not given access to correspondence with the standards commissioner in which MacShane described how signatures on receipts from the European Policy Institute (EPI) had been faked.


Letters emerged

The EPI was controlled by MacShane and the general manager's signature was not genuine.

One letter, dated October 2009, described how he drew funds from the EPI so he could serve on a book judging panel in Paris.

But the letters only emerged in November last year after Scotland Yard said it was taking no further action and the cross-party standards committee published a report recommending a 12-month suspension from the House.

MacShane resigned as MP for Rotherham before the punishment could be imposed.

He has always maintained that he did not personally profit from the claims.

Police re-opened their probe in the light of the fresh evidence and the 65-year-old was charged in May - even though the letters are still not thought to be admissible in court.

Four MPs and two peers have been sent to prison as a result of the expenses revelations from 2009. Their sentences ranged from 9 to 18 months. One further MP, Labour's Margaret Moran was given a supervision order instead after suffering mental health problems