CPS News Brief

Health experts who defrauded NHS ordered to pay £575,000

Four health experts who fraudulently billed the NHS for 14,000 hours they did not work have been ordered to pay more than £575,000 or face further time in prison.

John Mulholland, Martin Oliver, Ann Clements and Tom Cumberland were all jailed for their parts in the scam. The CPS Proceeds of Crime Unit subsequently began proceedings to recover the defrauded funds.

Following a ruling at Basildon Crown Court yesterday (Thu 24 Nov), the group was ordered to pay:

·         £350,946.23 to NHS Protect

·         £168,593.28 to Basildon & Thurrock NHS Trust

·         £57,599.66 to HM Treasury

The court ruled that failure to pay will result in additional prison sentences of 21 months (Mulholland) and 18 months (Oliver, Clements and Cumberland). Mulholland must also pay CPS costs of £75,000.

Nick Price, Head of CPS Proceeds of Crime said:

“A respected role in a well-paid job wasn’t enough for these people and so they fraudulently claimed extra payments out of pure greed.

“Our work continues to ensure that criminals will not benefit from their crimes. This ruling means we will be able to make these fraudsters pay back the money they stole from the NHS and ultimately the taxpayer.”

Stephen Port convicted

A man who drugged, raped and killed four male victims has today (23 November) been convicted at the Old Bailey.

Stephen Port, 41, drugged his victims, either by spiking their drink or through other means. Four of the men died from an overdose of the drug GHB and four others were raped while unconscious.

Port, from Barking, east London, was found guilty of four counts of murder, four counts of rape, four counts of assault by penetration and 10 counts of administering a substance. He will be sentenced on Friday 25 November.

Malcolm McHaffie, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London, said: 

“Over a period of three years the defendant committed a series of murders and serious sexual offences against young men. Port manipulated and controlled these men through the chilling and calculated use of the drug GHB, which he administered without their permission.

“Port murdered four of his victims and his considerable efforts to cover up his connection with the men - including disposing of mobile phones, writing a fake suicide note and planting vials of the drug on their bodies - ultimately failed. He even claimed that the deceased themselves were responsible for the overdoses and in one instance accused a murder victim of carrying out one of the other killings. 

“This was a technically challenging case, complicated by a significant amount of evidence taken from the numerous social media sites Port used. 

“We hope his conviction brings some comfort to the families of the four young men he killed and to his other victims. This was a harrowing trial and we would like to thank everyone who has given evidence in support of the prosecution case.” 

 

Additional point to note 

• Stephen Port was charged with a total of 29 counts. He was convicted of:
• Murder x4
• Rape x4
• Assault by penetration x4
• Administering a substance x10

Thomas Mair convicted of the murder of Jo Cox MP

Thomas Mair has today (23 November) been convicted of the terrorist murder of Jo Cox MP at the Old Bailey.

He was also found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to a 'whole-life' term today.

Sue Hemming, Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service said:

“On 16 June, Thomas Mair carried out the brutal murder of Jo Cox - a defenceless mother of two young children who served her constituents with passion, exuberance and vitality and was proud to represent a diverse community. Several people courageously intervened to try and save Ms Cox, including 77 year old Bernard Kenny who was stabbed by Mair and sustained serious injuries as a result.     

“Mair has offered no explanation for his actions but the prosecution was able to demonstrate that, motivated by hate, his pre-meditated crimes were nothing less than acts of terrorism designed to advance his twisted ideology. 

“The CPS worked closely with police from the outset of their thorough investigation to build a strong case. This included the evidence of a number of brave eye witnesses who are to be commended. A jury has now unanimously agreed on Mair’s guilt of all offences committed during this disturbing attack. 

“Our thoughts are with Jo Cox’s family who attended the court hearing and have behaved with real strength and dignity throughout.    

“The CPS will continue to work with criminal justice partners to combat those who seek to sow hatred and division by advancing extremist ideologies.”

Members of £2million cold-call gang jailed

Two members of a gang who defrauded more than £2million from members of the public in a large-scale cold-calling fraud have been jailed, bringing the total number of people sent to prison to eight.

Michael Foran and Kallan Henry, both 27, were convicted of fraud offences following a five-week trial at Southwark Crown Court for their roles in a scheme selling fictional investments. Today, Foran was jailed for four-and-a-half years and Henry was given an 18-month prison sentence.

The court heard how the gang used seemingly legitimate businesses called London Carbon Credit Company and Henderson International to convince investors to purchase ‘carbon credits’ by promising vastly inflated returns which never materialised.

Today’s sentencing follows on from a linked trial in August 2016 when six other members of the fraud all received jail sentences of between four and 11 years. The sentencing judge on that occasion, HHJ Korner, called the scheme ‘unpleasant and unscrupulous’.

The leader of the fraud, James Francis Byrne, 30, received a combined sentence of 11 years for his role as the ‘brains behind the scheme’. He received the majority of the profits of the business spending them on a lavish lifestyle. HHJ Korner described Byrne as ‘motivated entirely by greed and a callous disregard for the victims of the fraud’.

Luke Dockwray, Senior Specialist Prosecutor from the CPS Specialist Fraud Division, said:

“These criminals posed as legitimate businessmen to defraud millions of pounds from trusting investors in a calculated, persistent way.

“By exposing their lies and the absence of any investment value in what they were selling, the prosecution was able to prove that behind the City façade and sales talk were dishonest criminals, stealing the hard-earned pensions and savings of ordinary people.”