Court

HANNINGFIELD SPECIAL REPORT:
Peer Tells Court: 'I Was Set Up'
Weds 20th Feb 2013, Yellow Advertiser

LORD Hanningfield claimed in court that somebody at County Hall had set him up over his Essex Council expenses.

The former council leader was testifying in his wrongful arrest case against Essex Police.

The court heard how several officers arrived at the peer’s home on September 14, 2011, in two unmarked police cars and carried out a dawn raid.

Police were there to arrest the peer and search his home in relation to allegations that he had abused a county council credit card.

Officers had obtained signed statements from the council’s executive director of finance Margaret Lee and chief executive Joanna Killian.

On the stand, Hanningfield told Mr Justice Eady he was ‘surprised’ to learn of the investigation into his council expenses because they had been audited every single year.

He said the council’s complaint against him was a public relations ploy because it had become public knowledge that the council did not have strict rules in place over its expenses.

He said: “The county council had PR issues in handling the problem so I understood why it had happened.”

He added: “Probably someone in County Hall was out to get me. That’s been said to me by police officers.”

Hanningfield said he had not been able to understand why police did not also arrest Joanna Killian, who had joined him for several trips and meals.

Speaking of his arrest, he said: “It seemed impossible.

“Why wasn’t he arresting the chief executive and others that had been with me on these occasions?”

He also said he had felt let down by replacement leader Peter Martin, who cancelled a prison visit.

The peer told the court he had received a ‘very nice letter’ from Mr Martin saying that he would meet up with him in jail, but cancelled, ‘much to the upset of my family’.

He added that he could say ‘a lot more’ about the council but had decided not to.

He said: “I’m trying to get over all of this, rather than aggravate it.”

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