Agency fuel ticket swindle uncovered
Page 43
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• After a Carlisle haulage firm received invoices for diesel fuel supplied by a Warrington garage in respect of dates when the firm's vehicles were nowhere near the town, inquiries were made by Lancashire police.
This was stated at Warrington magistrates' court when Robert Vernon Dickenson, aged 47, director and manager of the Park Filling Station (Warrington) Ltd, Froghall Lane, Warrington, and a lorry driver, Spencer Graham, aged 28, of Meadow Bank, Aspatria, Carlisle, each pleaded guilty to six. offences of obtaining money belonging to Shell-Mex BP Ltd by pretending diesel fuel had been supplied to
Robsons Border Transport Ltd, Carlisle, on a Shell-Mex BP agency card. They also admitted six offences of falsifying agency tickets.
Both men were fined a total of £200 and given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £265.34 compensation. Graham was also ordered to pay £25 towards legal costs.
The prosecution stated that Dickenson was director and manager of Park Filling Station which operated agency credit cards and Graham was a driver employed by Robsons Border Transport. During 1970 the general manager of Robsons carried out a check on invoices for diesel fuel supplied to the firm's vehicles and it was discovered the vehicles in question were nowhere near Warrineton on the dates stated.
When interviewed by the police, Dickenson said he would accept that he had claimed from Shell-Mex BP for 1679 gallons of diesel fuel he had not supplied.
Both Dickenson and Graham told police officers that they had been short of money when they committed the offences and realized it was a foolish thing to do.
Mr T. Steel, defending Dickenson, said he had been perfectly frank with the police and made a full disclosure of the part he had played. Once it started it escalated and got out of control.