Ex-Lincoln academy boss employed son who failed CRB check, fraud trial hears
Trial begins: The chief executive of a flagship Lincolnshire group of academy schools defrauded the organisation out of thousands of pounds, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told on Tuesday, November 10.
Richard Gilliland (right) appearing at Lincoln Crown Court with his lawyer on November 10 accused of fraud. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The chief executive of a flagship Lincolnshire group of academy schools defrauded the organisation out of thousands of pounds, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told on Tuesday, November 10.
Richard Gilliland, who was paid over £200,000 a year as chief executive of the Priory Federation of Academies, is alleged to have been assisted by the Federation’s finance director Stephen Davies in concealing what was happening at the organisation.
David Allan, prosecuting, told the jury that the academy paid for equestrian training courses for Gilliland’s son Kia Richardson which were not the responsibility of the federation.
Allan said that Gilliland arranged for Kia Richardson to be given a job at the school and concealed the results of an enhanced CRB check which showed that he was unsuitable to be working with children because of previous convictions for exposing himself in public and possession of heroin.
Kia Richardson’s CRB check was not fully revealed to the trustees and it was only after inquiries were made by a national newspaper that Richardson resigned from his role as yard manager at the Federation’s Laughton Manor equestrian centre near Sleaford.
After he left he was paid over £4,000 in overtime payments he was not entitled to, said Allan.
Gilliland is also alleged to have used his federation credit card to purchase hundreds of items for his personal use off Amazon, including a six-person spa pool, a gazebo, three DVD players, an Apple iPad 2, a Kindle, an Apple iPod classic and video games, as well as a motorbike security chain and what was described as “compression wear”.
The prosecutor told the jury: “The crown say that Mr Gilliland dishonestly used money belonging to four schools for his own benefit and he was helped to do this by Stephen Davies.
“You are going to hear a story of greed and dishonesty by these two people charged with the running of four state schools.
“The Priory Federation of Academies was given control of four state schools. It was given a large amount of money to rebuild them and set them up.”
The jury heard that the federation, which was established in 2008, purchased and renovated a country house in France and also bought the equestrian centre near Sleaford.
Allan said: “Richard Gilliland was the chief executive. It seems that he believed he was the Priory Federation of Academies (PFA) and that the PFA’s money was his. Mr Gilliland wasn’t the PFA. He was just an employee albeit a very important and powerful employee.
“He was virtually able to negotiate his own salary and benefit package. As a result he became absolutely reckless as to what expenses were his.
“He added his PFA credit card details to his account with Amazon.
“Mr Gilliland was using his PFA credit card to make huge numbers of purchases of items for his own benefit and, perhaps, the benefit of his own family. He was issued with a PFA credit card to make purchases for work purposes.”
After Kia Richardson resigned his post Gilliland then repaid money to the federation for personal purchases.
Stephen Davies. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Allan told the jury that the federation’s finance director Stephen Davies, a former maths teacher who had no accountancy qualifications, connived with Gilliland to allow illicit payments to be made.
Gilliland, 64, who now lives in Spain, denies six charges of fraud by abuse of position on dates between October 2008 and November 2011.
Davies, 58, of Abingdon Avenue, Lincoln, denies three charges of fraud by abuse of position.
The trial continues.
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A mass rapid testing centre has opened on Croft Street off Monks Road for people with and without coronavirus symptoms after relocating from Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium.
Some 2,298 people were tested, with 42 positive results at the site on Sincil Bank between January 11 to 24.
This is a positivity rate of 1.83%, which is higher than the 0.5-1% local health bosses previously expected by the end of the initial two-week cycle.
The centre opened at its new location of the St Swithin’s community centre on Croft Street at 8am on Monday, January 25.
Signage will guide people to the centre. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It will allow those who live in the area to attend on a walk-up basis at the site, which will be open daily from 8am to 8pm until February 7.
There is no need to book and people can just turn up to the centre, where they will be guided through the process.
Online/follow-up testing will take place at the site between 9am and 3pm. This is for people with symptoms and a positive lateral flow test.
Anyone who tests positive on lateral flow is encouraged to return for a confirmatory PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.
Online/follow-up testing will take place between 9am and 3pm. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It is still important to adhere to social distancing measures. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The rapid turnout tests are supplied by NHS Test and Trace and deliver results within an hour via text message and/or email.
The community testing initiative is run by City of Lincoln Council, in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Greater Lincolnshire councils will get nearly £900,000 of government money in a bid to tackle COVID-19 lies.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is giving out more than £23 million to 60 councils across England including £494,800 to Boston Borough Council and £397,204 to North Lincolnshire Council.
It says the aim is to expand the support given to those most at risk and boost vaccine take-up.
It will include the creation of Community Champions tasked with spreading accurate health information to vulnerable areas such as older people, the disabled and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “It is vital that everyone has access to accurate and up to date information about COVID-19.
“False information about COVID-19 vaccines could cost lives.
“Today’s funding will help councils and community groups expand some of the excellent work already underway and reach out to their communities to ensure they have the information they need and get their questions answered.
“Ultimately this funding will help save lives.”
On Friday, Lincolnshire County Council’s director for public health Professor Derek Ward hit out at COVID-19 deniers.
He said a single week in December saw Lincolnshire deaths reach 13 times the yearly average.
The week including December 14 would usually see an average of 23 deaths.
However, in 2020, there had been 301 deaths, some 13 times the usual figures.
“Anybody who says COVID isn’t real, think about those numbers,” said Professor Ward.
“COVID is a killer, let’s make sure we stick with that hands, face, space message.”
There have been 518 new coronavirus cases and 20 COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire over the weekend.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 414 new cases in Lincolnshire across Saturday and Sunday, 59 in North Lincolnshire and 45 in North East Lincolnshire.
By the end of Sunday, 18 deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and two in North Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported 11 new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, three at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and one at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals, making a total of 15.
The weekend saw national cases increase to 3,647,463, while deaths rose to 97,939.
The UK has identified 77 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa, the health secretary has said.
Cases are linked to travellers arriving in the UK, rather than community transmission, Matt Hancock added.
Sunday’s data revealed that 6,353,321 have had at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine – a rise of almost half a million on Saturday’s figure.
Almost a million people received a first dose at the weekend, suggesting there is no weekend lag when it comes to giving out vaccines.
More than 30 new vaccination centres are due to open in England this week as the drive continues to protect the population against COVID-19.
The 32 centres include the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, a racecourse, a football stadium and a former Ikea store – however, none of these centres will be in Greater Lincolnshire.
Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure from cabinet ministers and scientists to impose blanket border control measures against coronavirus.
Ministers are to meet on Tuesday to weigh up the merits of a border policy that could require all new arrivals to quarantine at their own expense in government-supervised hotels.
The government is making £23 million available to councils in England to help counter misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine and boost take-up of the jab.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said it was being targeted at areas with plans to reach out to groups such as older people, disabled people, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds who are more likely to suffer long-term impacts and poor outcomes from the virus.
Lincolnshire’s COVID cases up to January 24.
Lincolnshire’s COVID deaths up to January 24.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Sunday, January 24
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
46,163 cases (up 518)
32,228 in Lincolnshire (up 414)
7,126 in North Lincolnshire (up 59)
6,809 in North East Lincolnshire (up 45)
1,780 deaths (up 20)
1,273 from Lincolnshire (up 18)
274 from North Lincolnshire (up two)
233 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,062 hospital deaths (up 15)
649 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up 11)
33 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (up 1)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
379 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up three)
3,647,463 cases, 97,939 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF THE LATEST UPDATE. POSTCODE DATA INCLUDES DEATHS NOT IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES OR IN HOSPITALS OUTSIDE AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES.
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