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Reetcare seven in the dock
Page 7
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• Four board directors and three regional directors of the former NFC subsidiary Fleetcare were so determined to make a profit after the company's Privatisation in 1982 that they defrauded British Rail to do so, the prosecution has alleged at the start of the trial of the seven men at Southwark Crown Court (CM 25 May).
Anthony Hacking, prosecuting, said that witnesses have claimed Fleetcare management's objective was to make a profit "by hook or by crook" and "to screw British Rail for every penny we can get".
He said that British Rail had been consistently over-charged by Fleetcare depots and although each case involved petty amounts, hundreds and thousands of invoices were sent to British Rail.
Senior management were party to giving dishonest instructions to Fleetcare depot managers to inflate invoices and deliberately over-charge BR, the prosecution alleged. Some depot managers have already been prosecuted and pleaded guilty to falsifying in
voices. They will be called to give evidence.
The seven defendants, David Smith, managing director, of Romsey, Hants; Brian Soartes, operations director, of Peterborough; Colin Smith, parts director, of Harpenden, Herts; Philip Ward, finance director, of Peterborough; John Flay, regional director, of Weston Super Mare; Donald Williams, regional director, of Sutton Coldfieid; and Barry Munt, regional director, of Leighton Buzzard, Beds, all plead not guilty. The case continues.