Padarn Bus fraud
Bosses claimed £815k from the county council
TWO former Padarn Bus company directors will find out in the New Year how much of their ill-gotten gains they will have to pay back.
John David Hulme, 56, of Glan Seiont, Caernarfon, and Darren Charles Price, 45, of Minffordd, Llanrug, were jailed in March this year for falsely claiming concessionary bus pass money from Gwynedd Council.
Hulme was found guilty of fraud and false accounting and sentenced to six years in jail.
Price had previously pleaded guilty to false accounting and was given two years and three months.
The judge ordered a financial investigation be undertaken to ascertain what benefit, if any, the two men had enjoyed from the offences.
At a hearing in Caernarfon Crown Court Judge Niclas Parry heard the probe had been completed and all papers filed but that there was no agreement between all parties.
The judge ruled a hearing, expected to last a day, be held at Caernarfon on January 27 to hear arguments from each side’s counsel.
He further ordered that the issues be identified within 21 days.
Neither of the men were in court for the hearing.
During his trial, the court heard that Hulme, the Llanberis-based firm’s managing director, falsely claimed £495,857 from Gwynedd Council between July 2011 and December 2012.
When he was suspended on an unrelated matter, operations director Price carried on the fraud, falsely claiming £318,798.
Hulme claimed the offences were not committed for personal gain, but to keep the Padarn Bus company going.