James Campbell, 51, from Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for a significant fraud involving billing a client for police escorts that often did not occur. The former director of West of Scotland Heavy Haulage Limited overcharged a Spanish company by £110,000 while transporting wind turbine parts.
The company had a contract with Siemens Gamesa in Navarra, Spain, to move wind farm components to several Scottish sites and one in Wales in 2017. Over an eight-month period, Campbell tampered with invoices from the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and South Wales Police, inflating costs to gain extra funds from the client.
Campbell was sentenced at Airdrie Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to fraud. Due to the size of the loads being transported, police escorts were required, and the contract specified that these charges would be billed at cost. The SPA and South Wales Police issued invoices for the escorts, which Campbell’s firm then incorporated into the overall billing to Siemens Gamesa.
Concerns were raised in June 2017, leading to a police raid that uncovered text messages indicating Campbell’s discussions about altering SPA invoices. Evidence from Police Scotland’s Economic Crime Unit revealed that between January and August 2017, he falsified invoices to inflate the costs of police escorts, even when no escorts were used.
The total amount fraudulently obtained reached £110,000. Additionally, Campbell will face confiscation proceedings under proceeds of crime legislation.
Les Brown, procurator fiscal for south Strathclyde, stated, “Fraud is not a victimless crime. This brazen act caused serious financial harm to an overseas company and its employees. We are committed to prosecuting such crimes and recovering the benefits of criminal activities.”