
Originally Posted by
Aardvark
A number of people have contacted me privately about this thread. I would like to make a slight correction. Although Ashley Mote had dragged out the case until after his 70th birthday to avoid, I believe, a sentence of greater than 12 months, it transpires, from someone present in court, that the discussion at sentencing was about the fact that the prisons were overcrowded. Ashley Mote, therefore, I now understand, received a sentence that was less than the tariff for someone in his position committing fraud and theft because the prisons were full. It is a sad indictment of our system that serious fraudsters should get reduced sentences because of the state of our prisons. Ashley Mote was able, therefore, to receive a substantial salary whilst in prison and to receive an enhanced pension based on his length of service as a MEP which included that time when he was as effective as a chocolate teapot.
Had Ashley Mote been a gentleman he would, in his beloved cricket parlance, have 'walked' and resigned the seat he had won by default. UKIP would not have retained his name on the list of candidates had they known he was being investigated for fraud. I have spoken to a number of people who dealt with Ashley Mote's candidature and he wilfully failed to declare the fact that he was in serious trouble with the authorities. Isn't it sad that a man, who would feign patriotism and claim to support law and order, defrauded the party that gave him succour and support and whose members worked hard for his election?
Patriotism truly is the last refuge of the scoundrel.
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