A former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) has been jailed for four years after dishonestly claiming almost half a million pounds in expenses.
Peter Skinner, 56, was Labour MEP for the South East from 1999 to 2014, during which time he claimed £480,000 in expenses for non-existent support staff, and instead spent the money on jewellery, restaurants and hotel stays.
Skinner falsely stated that his wife was on his payroll as secretary and fraudulently claimed £10,000 per month between December 2007 and July 2009 for secretarial or parliamentary assistance allowance.
He also lied about having his father working for him, and claimed £5,000 every quarter for this assistance.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court found Skinner guilty on three counts – one count of making a false instrument, one count of fraud, and one count of false accounting.
