Army colonel accused of fraudulently claiming £98,000 for public school fees

AN ARMY colonel fraudulently claimed nearly £100,000 in allowances to send his children to one of the leading public schools in Britain, a court martial heard.

Colonel Roddy Lee claimed the money to send his children to Marlborough College and two prep schools in Wiltshire and Dorset. During the school year 2015/16, Col Lee claimed £98,306.80 in school fees for his children’s education, the court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, heard.

The officer was entitled to claim the Army’s continuity of education allowance (CEA), which enables service personnel to send children to boarding school to prevent disruption to schooling caused by postings around the UK and abroad.

But prosecutors allege that Col Lee became ineligible for the allowance because he was posted in 2015 to Hampshire, which was less than 50 miles from his family home near Devizes, Wiltshire.

Martyn Bowyer, prosecuting, said: “These are serious allegations made against a senior Army officer and they are not brought lightly.”

Mr Bowyer told the court that in 2015 Col Lee was posted to Army headquarters in Andover, meaning his workplace was now less than 50 miles from his home address in Devizes and he was “clearly anxious” to continue to qualify for the allowance.

“The prosecution say that the evidence will demonstrate that Col Lee was well aware that his entitlement to continuity of education allowance might be affected by his new posting, and as a result obtained service families’ accommodation at RAF Odiham, to ensure that his new address was just outside the 50-mile limit,” he said.

Col Lee was arrested in September 2016 and said during an interview with the military police that the property at RAF Odiham was his family home.

Col Lee, late of the Royal Artillery, denies three charges of fraud alleged to have taken place between May 2015 and October 16.

The court martial continues.