MEP faces jail after admitting expenses scam

An MEP faces prison today after dramatically changing his plea mid-trial to admit cheating the taxpayer over his expenses.

Tom Wise, 61, who represented Ukip before becoming an independent, diverted much of the £36,000 he was claiming for a secretary into a secret bank account.

Wise, then the MEP for East of England, even boasted he was "repatriating" EU money to Britain. He then spent the money on a new car, fine wines and settling his credit card debts.

Southwark crown court was told that had his fraud not been uncovered it could have lasted five years and netted him £180,000.

Wise, of Leighton Buzzard, who was kicked out of Ukip over the scandal, had denied false accounting between October and November 2004. But just before Ukip leader Nigel Farage was to give evidence against him he began a round of discussions with his legal team.

After an overnight adjournment, the jury was discharged and the disgraced politician admitted he was guilty.

The court heard how Wise had pretended the £3,000 "secretarial assistance allowance" he received every month was for his 62-year-old researcher Lindsay Jenkins. In fact he paid her £500 and it was not until his crimes were exposed in the press four years ago that he paid the money back.

Charges against Mrs Jenkins, of West Kensington, were dropped after Wise took full responsibility. He will be sentenced next week.

Wise had been an MEP for six months when he started the fiddle. He continued to serve as an independent candidate on the EU culture, media, education and sport committee until June this year when he did not seek re-election.

Jurors heard that before his election as an MEP, Wise had worked as an administrator on the rules governing their expenses. He later claimed that he did not realise he was breaking the law.

Wise later told an employee he "intended to use the money for the good of the party".

In 2007, former Ukip MEP Ashley Mote, 73, who represented South East England, was found guilty of falsely claiming benefits of more than £65,000 and given a nine-month sentence.

Mote served his sentence and, because it was less than 12 months, returned as an independent MEP.