No Sympathy

Disgraced former MP Jim Devine was gaoled for 16 months at the Old Bailey for fiddling his parliamentary expenses.

He submitted invoices for bogus cleaning and printing work totalling £8 385, at the height of expenses scandal.  The judge said:

"You made the false claims at a time when the papers were full of stories about MPs' expense claims and the public was already making clear their sense of outrage.  You knew well just how strong it was and the effect on the public belief and confidence in Parliament... [You] set about defrauding the public purse in a calculated and deliberate way with false documents causing serious damage to the reputation of Parliament."

Good judge and a fair result for a change.