Tory MP Christopher Davies fined £1,500 over false expenses claim

A Conservative MP has been found guilty of a false expenses claim and has been ordered to complete 50 hours' unpaid work, as well as pay a fine of £1,500.

51-year-old Christopher Davies, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire in Wales, pleaded guilty to providing misleading information for allowances claims, which he attempted to do in March.

He was told he'd committed 'two very serious offences', which were 'absolutely intended to deceive' when he appeared before magistrates last month.

Davies offered his 'unreserved apology' following his sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday. He must also complete the community order within 12 months and must pay £2,500 in costs.

The charges relate to two invoices for landscape photographers to decorate his new constituency office, which were bought following the 2015 snap election.

He contacted a photographer in his constituency and bought nine images for his office, paying the £700 from his own money initially. However, he then tried to split the cost of the photographs between two budgets by faking two invoices.

The prosecution didn't allege he was trying to profit from the forgery, however, it said that the forgery 'involved some sophistication and took effort to create', and that there was "also the matter of breach of public trust", reports the BBC.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called on him to resign, however, in a statement, Mr Davies said he wanted to 'move on and continue' in his role.

Speaking to the media, he said:

I have accepted today's ruling and want to take this opportunity to make an unreserved apology.

I would like to reiterate that I made a mistake and at no point did I at any time try to make any financial gain.

A spokesman for the Conservative Party said that Mr Davies had been given a 'formal warning', and also issued a statement saying:

It is right that the people of Brecon and Radnorshire now get to have their say about whether they still support Mr Davies.

HT The BBC

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