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Former Town Hall repairs boss escapes
jail sentence
Employee gave go-ahead for payments to bogus maintenance
A FORMER Town Hall official has been convicted of fraud after authorising bogus payments for fictitious repair work to council estates.
Housing chiefs said they were disappointed with the sentencing of Robert Allum after he avoided a custodial sentence.
He had initially faced charges of conspiracy to defraud the council out of £220,000 but, with a five-week trial looming, he only agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges.
Allum, a repairs manager who left his position in April 2005, was handed a 12-month prison sentence but the punishment was suspended for two years.
Allum must servce 250 hours’ community service and pay back £6,500 to the council by Tuesday.
His accomplice, John Cullen, a former manager at Spring Grove Property Maintenance, was also convicted of the same offence.
He was sentenced to 200 hours’ community service and must pay back £24,000 in instalments.
Both learned their fate at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday. They had been gearing up for a lengthy trial with several witnesses, but the case was settled before it reached that stage when the Crown Prosecution Service accepted an offer from the two men to plead guilty to lesser charges.
The case dates back to August 2004 and July the following year when Spring Grove, one of the largest repairs companies used by local authorities, had a contract to repair council homes in the Hampstead housing district.
The contract was not renewed when it expired two years ago amid arguments over the company’s performance in Camden. The parent ownership of the company changed hands during its contract with Camden.
Lib Dem housing chief, Councillor Chris Naylor, said: “It’s unacceptable that they lined their own pockets with money that should have been spent on vital repairs to council tenants’ homes.”
He added: “The council uncovered this fraud quickly and worked hard with the police to bring this case to trial. We are disappointed that the full scale of the fraud could not be recognised by the courts and tougher sentences given.”
Camden is anxious to take a hard line against fraudsters after three major fraud scandals in the past three years. Housing finance chief John Baptiste was jailed in February for stealing money from accounts managed by Camden on behalf of vulnerable residents.
Kevin Childs, a managing director at Spring Grove, was initially arrested as part of the same police investigation, but no charges were brought and there is no suggestion that he was involved in the scam. |
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