Northampton: Conservative donor admits £10k disguised contribution

A man has been fined £6,000 after admitting not properly declaring political contributions in a case linked to a missing £10.25m loan to Northampton Town FC.

Alan Mayfield made the £10,000 payment to Northampton South Conservative Association in 2014 without declaring he was not the source of the funds.

He broke down as he was sentenced at Northampton Magistrates' Court.

Four others who appeared with him will face trial at Northampton Crown Court.

The case is the first to be brought under a law prohibiting disguised donations to a political party.

Mayfield, 64, a hypnotherapist, of Hill Farm Road, Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, was charged by detectives investigating the disappearance of £10.25m loaned to the football club by the now-defunct Northampton Borough Council.

Mayfield was accused of breaching Section 54 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000 which states those donating sums exceeding £500 to a political party have to state where the money originates from.

The magistrates were told Mr Mayfield donated £10,000 to the election campaign of former Conservative MP David Mackintosh in May 2014.

They heard how £11,000 was transferred to Mayfield's account by Howard Grossman via Mr Grossman's company 1st Land Ltd.

The company was set up to carry out the redevelopment of Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium and received the bulk of the loan money.

Three days later, Mayfield paid £10,000 to Northampton South Conservative Association.

A few days before the donation, the court was told, Mayfield met Mr Mackintosh on the set of the BBC's EastEnders programme.

Tickets for a tour of the set had been purchased by Mr Grossman's wife Mandy at an auction held during a fundraising event for the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

The court was told Mayfield's payment was made at Mr Grossman's instigation and that Mayfield now wished he had asked at the time why the donation had not been made directly by Mr Grossman.

Magistrate Dominic Goble noted that there were no sentencing guidelines for this offence, but said "this law was designed to protect the integrity of the electoral process" and that "the harm must be considered to be high".

Mayfield was ordered to pay his fine in £100 instalments.

Four other defendants appeared with Mayfield.

Husband and wife Nutan Bhimjiyani, 60, and Sharad Bhimjiyani, 65, both of Headstone Lane, Harrow, did not enter a plea.

Gary Platt, 65, of West Drive, Harrow; and Leonard Western, 71, of Holmside Rise, South Oxhey, Watford, both pleaded not guilty.

Nirav Vinodray Sheth, 47, of Uppingham Avenue, Stanmore, did not appear before magistrates, but will face crown court trial.