LONDON — Former Conservative peer Lord Hanningfield was jailed for nine months on Friday for dishonestly obtaining parliamentary expenses, becoming the sixth politician to go to prison over the scandal.
Paul White, 70, was found guilty of six counts of false accounting at Chelmsford Crown Court in May, relating to claims of nearly £14,000 for overnight stays in London.
Rules at the time allowed peers to claim up to £174-a-night when attending Parliament, if their main home was outside the city.
But it emerged in court that White was not even in the capital on the relevant dates, including one occasion in February 2008 when he was on board a flight to India.
Sentencing him at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, Mr Justice Saunders described the former Essex Council chief as a "benefits cheat".
"While there were ambiguities in the peers' expenses schemes which have resulted in its revision, it was clear from the terms of the scheme, as well as according with common sense, that a peer could not claim an overnight allowance to cover the expense of staying the night in London when he did not stay in London but went home.
"It was perfectly clear from the terms of the scheme, as well as according with common sense, that a peer could not claim for travelling expenses that he did not incur."
Four ex-MPs and another member of the House of Lords have already been convicted of dishonestly claiming thousands of pounds in allowances.
"Great trust was placed in peers to be honest in their claims for expenses," the judge added.
"The public expects no less of them. Lord Hanningfield and others have broken that trust.
"The consequences for the reputation of the House of Lords have been serious."
The judge said he took into account White's mental and physical health when deciding on the sentence, saying he was suffering from clinical depression.
"He is 70 and his physical health is not good. Imprisonment will be harder for him than for others who are mentally and physically fitter," he said
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