Two cleared over county council contract
Misconduct and forgery charges against two men were sensationally dropped when a jury heard they were made "scapegoats" by Northamptonshire County Council officers after the authority lost almost £500,000 of taxpayers' money by awarding a building contract to an illiterate traveller.
David Entwistle, 50, and Philip Horne, 57, were cleared of all charges relating to the disastrous 366,000 contract to refurbish Kangaroo Spinney and Gypsy Lane traveller sites, near Wellingborough, when two key witnesses revealed a "cover-up culture" within the local authority.
Mr Entwistle, of Queens Park, Northampton, who denied misconduct in a public office, was the contract manager employed as the county council's head of countryside and tourism, when the contract was awarded to Francis Doherty and his two sons in November 2003.
Mr Horne, of Wootton, was employed as the contract's independent administrator with responsibility for signing off payment certificates.
Accused of making false representations, he was responsible for ensuring the work was completed and up to standard.
However, a jury at Northampton Crown Court heard the county council not only paid 366,000 for the work in advance, its financial department later discovered it had also overpaid Doherty by 60,000 on top of a 30,000 interest-free loan. Evidence was heard how duplicate invoices and internal reports were then "altered".
Christopher Donnellan QC, prosecuting, said he was offering no evidence against the pair after two witnesses revealed a cover-up within the local authority to hide the true picture.
Mr Horne said: "I'm absolutely delighted to be acquitted as it's been very traumatic. Hopefully, there'll now be some repercussions.
"Thankfully there were two witnesses honest enough to tell the truth about the lack of support from within the county council.
"It was not a case of the contract being poorly run. In this case it was a cover up. They made the decision to award the contract in seconds."
Asked if he and Mr Entwistle were scapegoats for council incompetence, Mr Horne added: "They tried to hide it all. The council covered up crucial things throughout the whole of this. Not just one or two departments but all of them. He added: "How can a council contract that size be paid through petty cash? Someone's got the answer to that."
Mr Entwistle was suspended, then sacked by the council and now plans to appeal the decision but could also sue for unfair dismissal. He was yesterday unavailable for comment.
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