Bus grants case: eight fined £3375
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THREE bus companies and five other defendants were fined a total of £3,375 with costs of £7,900 at Newport Crown Court last week for offences over Government grants, for new buses.
Before the court were: Moseley (Gloucester) Ltd and director Christopher John Lane, 41, of Beacon Road, Loughborough; John Williams, 37, bus operator of Newton Nottage Road, Porthcawl; Henley's 'Bus Service Ltd, Abertillery, and Arthur Henley, 60, of Tillery Street, A bertillery; Alan Barrington Smith, 34, bus operator, of Denbigh Road, Newport; Edmunds Omnibus Services Ltd, Ebbw Vale, and manager James Barry Cunningham, 62, of Rassau, Ebbw Vale; Hills Ltd, Tredegar, and director Henry Fox Hill, of Brompton Place, Tredegar; and Morlais Services Ltd, Merthyr Tydfil.
Moseley, Messrs Lane and Williams denied dishonestly obtaining from the Department of the Environment for Mr Williams £671.08 by falsely representing that he paid £8,763.55 for a new bus. Moseley and Mr Lane also denied falsifying for Mr Williams' gain a receipt stating they received £8,763.55 from Mr Williams.
Moseley and Messrs Lane and Smith denied similar offences concerning £646.50 for Mr Smith for a new bus purported to cost £8,724.
Moseley, Mr Lane, Edmunds and Mr Cunningham denied the same offences concerning £707.59 for the Edmunds firm for a new bus said to cost £11,358.02.
The Moseley firm and Mr Lane denied similar offences concerning £1,566.60 for the gain of Hills for two new buses purported to cost £21,937.34.
The Tedegar firm and Mr Hill admitted dishonestly obtaining the £1,564.60.
Moseley, Mr Lane, Henleys and Mr Henley denied attempting to dishonestly obtain £671.08 for a new bus said to cost £11,233.50 and of committing the receipt offence.
Morlais Ltd admitted dishonestly obtaining £550 from the Department for a new bus purported to have cost £8,835.37.
Moseley was fined £150 on each of the 13 counts, giving a total of £1,950 with £3,500 costs. Mr Lane was fined £100 on each of the six counts, or six months' imprisonment, with £400 costs.
Mr Williams was fined £150 or six months, with £750 costs. He was told to pay £100 towards his legal aid.
Henley's Ltd was fined £75, with £400 costs, Mr Henley was fined £75 or six months, with £350 costs.
Mr Smith was fined £150 or six months, with £700 costs. He was told to pay £100 towards his legal aid.
Morlais was fined £75, with £50 costs.
Edmunds was fined £75, with £400 costs. Mr Cunningham was fined £75 or six months, with £350 costs, He was told to pay £100 towards his legal aid.
Hills was fined £75, with £50 costs. Mr Hill was fined £75 or three months, with £50 costs.
During the trial, Mr Esyr Lewis, QC, prosecuting, said that the Government gave a 50 per cent grant to encourage bus operators to buy new buses. He said that the parties in court had deceived the DoE by over-stating the bus purchase price.
In every case, Moseley, which distributed the buses, gave the operator, who bought the bus from that firm, a 15 per cent discount.
When the operators applied for the grant they concealed receiving the substantial discount. Conse quently, the grant was based on the full cost.
Another two bus companies and two directors were fined a total of £1,700 with up to £950 costs on Monday for similar offences.
Before the court were Don Everall, PSV Sales Ltd, Wolverhampton, and managing director John Frederick Davies of Winbourne Road: Wednesfield, Staffs; and R. I. Davies & Sons Ltd, Tredegar, and director Thomas Hilling Davies, 41, of Stone Lodge, Tredegar.
Everall admitted dishonestly and with a view to gain for Clifford Stanley Peake and Wilfred Peake, bus operators, of Pontypool, falsifying a receipt for the DoE purporting to show that they had received £7,770 for a new bus.
They also admitted three other similar offences concerning R. 1. Davies in respect of receipts for £6,390.05, £9,239.73 and £9,271.24.
Everall, R. I. Davies and Thomas Hilling Davies admitted dishonestly obtaining from the Department for R. I. Davies £212.50 by falsely representing that the company had paid £6,390 for a new bus. The prosecution accepted a plea of not guilty to this charge by Mr John Frederick Davies.
Everall and R. I. Davies admitted similar offences concerning £685.86 for R. I. Davies for a new bus purported to cost £9,239.73.
The prosecution accepted pleas of not guilty to the charge by Messrs Davies.
Everall, John Frederick Davies and R. I. Davies admitted similar offences concerning £654.22 for R. I. Davies for a new bus said to cost £9,271.24.
The prosecution accepted a plea of not guilty to the charge by Mr Thomas Hilling Davies.
Everall was fined £150 on each of the seven counts giving a total of £1,050 with costs not exceeding £500. John Frederick Davies was fined £100 or three months imprisonment with costs of up to £150.
R. I. Davies was fined £150 on each of the three counts with costs not exceeding £150. Mr Thomas Hilling Davies was fined £100 or three months, with costs of up to £150.
All parties had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges at an earlier court hearing.