Accused expenses fraudster former Labour MP Margaret Moran, appeared in court today and wept as she stood accused of swindling expenses worth around £80,000.
56 year old Moran, former MP for Luton South, is accused of an array of charges, including 15 charges of false accounting.
It is alleged that she falsely claimed £22,500 for treatment of dry rot at her Southampton home, submitted forged invoices, and flipped her designated second home so that she could make claims for multiple properties.
During her appearance in City of Westminster Magistrates Court she spoke only to confirm her name and address, and was seen to be openly crying into a handkerchief.
She has been suspended by the Labour Party since the allegations came to light.
Moran is due to appear in Southwark Crown Court on October 28.
If previous expenses fraud cases are anything to go by then it's the taxpayer who paid for all these expenses who ought to be crying, not just for the ones who got away lightly but also for the ones who got away altogether.
9 months prison, serve around 10-12 weeks in the prison systems equivalent of Butlins, and then get out utterly free aside from having to wear an electronic tag for a few months seems to be the order of the day.
Still, tears may sway a judge. Many public figures who swindle the public seem to be penitent and tearful, not to mention suddenly find themselves in ill health - when they're caught.
Accused expenses fraudster former Labour MP Margaret Moran, appeared in court today and wept as she stood accused of swindling expenses worth around £80,000.
