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£500,000 Nuke Sub Swindle
Jan 15 2008 By Charlie Gall
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... -20285976/
THREE Scots scaffolders working on the Trident submarine project swindled the Ministry of Defence out of nearly £500,000, a trial heard yesterday.
The clocking scam went undetected for months at the Devonport Royal Dockyard, where the Royal Navy repair and refuel nuclear subs.
It is claimed employees of Ayrshire firm McLaughlan's Scaffolding submitted forged clocking-in cards and false invoices to get extra cash.
Paperwork showed McLaughlan employees were on site when they were not.
More than 100 contractors and 40,000 people were employed on a huge project to upgrade the Devonport dockyard, in Plymouth, in 2001 and 2002.
McLaughlan bosses allegedly took advantage of the vast sums funding the development to cream off hundreds of thousands of pounds, London's Southwark Crown Court heard.
Three of the men in the dock - Robert Burns, 38, of Ardrossan, Matthew Gillies, 28, of Troon, and Mark Burns, 34, of West Kilbride - worked for McLaughlan's.
Also on trial are three employees of another contractor responsible for processing McLaughlan invoices.
They are said to have accepted bribes including cars, free accommodation and thousands of pounds.
Prosecutor Paul Garlick QC said the MoD lost almost £425,000 over 39 weeks.
He told the court: "It is not just the MoD. Each of us who pays tax has paid for the loss."
James McLaughlan, of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, has already admitted conspiracy to defraud the MoD.
His stepdaughter, Rebekah Hart, has admitted a lesser role in the scam.
The trial continues.
Jan 15 2008 By Charlie Gall
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... -20285976/
THREE Scots scaffolders working on the Trident submarine project swindled the Ministry of Defence out of nearly £500,000, a trial heard yesterday.
The clocking scam went undetected for months at the Devonport Royal Dockyard, where the Royal Navy repair and refuel nuclear subs.
It is claimed employees of Ayrshire firm McLaughlan's Scaffolding submitted forged clocking-in cards and false invoices to get extra cash.
Paperwork showed McLaughlan employees were on site when they were not.
More than 100 contractors and 40,000 people were employed on a huge project to upgrade the Devonport dockyard, in Plymouth, in 2001 and 2002.
McLaughlan bosses allegedly took advantage of the vast sums funding the development to cream off hundreds of thousands of pounds, London's Southwark Crown Court heard.
Three of the men in the dock - Robert Burns, 38, of Ardrossan, Matthew Gillies, 28, of Troon, and Mark Burns, 34, of West Kilbride - worked for McLaughlan's.
Also on trial are three employees of another contractor responsible for processing McLaughlan invoices.
They are said to have accepted bribes including cars, free accommodation and thousands of pounds.
Prosecutor Paul Garlick QC said the MoD lost almost £425,000 over 39 weeks.
He told the court: "It is not just the MoD. Each of us who pays tax has paid for the loss."
James McLaughlan, of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, has already admitted conspiracy to defraud the MoD.
His stepdaughter, Rebekah Hart, has admitted a lesser role in the scam.
The trial continues.