Broadband fraudsters jailed for 44 years

FOUR men convicted of fraud and bribery charges involving a broadband scheme in Dundee have been jailed for a total of 44 years.

They were found guilty at Southwark Crown Court. The £160 million fraud case surrounded the financing of H2O Networks, which went into administration six years ago.

In June 2008, H2O — then trading as FibreCity — announced Dundee would be the first Scottish city to receive new ultrafast broadband internet through a £30m project using cables via the city’s sewers.

H2O was put into administration in April 2011 after being caught up in a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation of former funding partners Total Asset Finance (TAF).

Stephen Dartnell and George Alexander of TAF were found guilty of fraud, along with Carl Cumiskey, H2O Networks’ former finance director.

Dartnell of Total Asset Finance (TAF) was sentenced to a total of 15 years after being found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and a further count of conspiracy to give corrupt payments.

Dartnell was also disqualified from holding the directorship of a company for 12 years.

Alexander of TAF faces a jail term of 12 years after being found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

Carl Cumiskey , H2O Networks’ former finance director, was sentenced to 10 years in jail on two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Simon Mundy, an “inside man” at KBC bribed with £900,000 to approve loans to TAF, received the shortest sentence – a seven-year jail term – after he was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and one count of conspiracy to make corrupt payments.

Left: Ashton with mum Jenna and sister Ava. Middle: Getting a cuddle from his big sister. Right: Ashton in hospital.