Retford man admits fraud charges

By [jpeck]

AN ORDSALL man was one of the key players in a long-running fraud involving high-value electrical contracts in Doncaster, a court heard.

Paul Keith Green (30) of High Street, Ordsall, pleaded guilty at Doncaster Crown Court last week to three counts of conspiracy to defraud electrical company Harbons, McCormick Tractors and Amco.

The scam he is accused of being concerned in involved large sums of cash changing hands while some customers were being vastly over-charged for work done by a Doncaster contractor, the court heard.

Six men are due to be sentenced in March for their part in the conspiracy which was said to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in illegal payments and backhanders to employees.

One of the main players in the scam, which went on from 2001 until 2006, was Damion Newton (38), contracts manager at Harbon and Sons Ltd, based in Doncaster.

Newton pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to defraud Harbons, Amco and City Electrical Factors.

Doncaster Crown Court heard a trial of issue because Green, although accepting his dishonesty, denied the amount of money he received from the crooked scheme.

A forensic accountant who investigated Green's six bank accounts found there were unidentified credits into them for a total of about £40,000.

Green claimed he received only a 42in TV and no more than £15,000 in cash from Newton.

Giving evidence for the Crown against his co-conspirator, Newton said while he was a £55,000 a year contracts manager for Harbons he built up a relationship with Green which enabled false invoices for electrical appliances and fittings to go through Amco books.

The goods were used for his benefit, with Harbons' customers paying for them, the court heard.

"It started on a small scale but before we were discovered it was substantial," Newton said in court. "When the orders were sorted out I'd get a call from Paul that there was something to collect.

"I really don't know how much I received, it was hundreds of thousands on the top line. I couldn't have managed it without the involvement of Paul Green."

Green was granted bail until he is sentenced in March with five others.

The Retford Times contacted Amco's owner and he declined to comment on the case.

However, he said charges were made to individuals who benefited from the crime and not the company.

He also stated there was absolutely no connection with this fraud and Amco of Retford.