Seven Men Sentenced For Merseyside Police Fraud
30/07/2010
Stephen Kell and Kevin Mighall, employed by the Metropolitan Police Authority in its estates department, have been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court for corruption after accepting gifts and hospitality from local businessmen in return for lucrative contracts from the police authority.
Stephen Kell was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years and Kevin Mighall received a 12 month community order. Three men from local firms which benefited from work and contracts awarded by Kell and Mighall also received suspended prison sentences and two men who also worked for these firms were given community orders.
John Dilworth, Head of the Complex Casework Unit at Lancashire Crown Prosecution Service said:
"Stephen Kell and Kevin Mighall were both employed in positions of responsibility and trust at Merseyside Police. They abused those positions for their own gain, and to reward business associates who were prepared to enter into corrupt business arrangements with them.
"The public must be able to rely on employees who manage public sector contracts to act honestly and openly to get the best value for public funds, not to act corruptly and dishonestly as these men did".
Stephen Kell was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court in June of two counts of conspiracy to commit offences contrary to the Corruption Act and Kevin Mighall was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit offences contrary to the Corruption Act. Local businessmen Clifford Elliot, David Lloyd, of IFS Construction Ltd, and Paul Moy, of Paul Moy Associates Ltd, were also found guilty of corruption charges. Paul Moy, and Paul Gaskell, who worked at Moy's company, were found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. A further man, Alan Coslett, a contract manager from Whittakers (Huyton) Ltd had pleaded guilty before the trial to one count of conspiracy to commit offences contrary to the Corruption Act and a false accounting offence.
At the sentencing hearing the judge also made confiscation orders totalling over £95,000 against six of the defendants.
ENDS
