The four Jones family members who ran Penygroes-based Express Motors, convicted at the beginning of October of concessionary fare fraud and misappropriating money earned by the business [routeone/Court Report/10 October], were jailed for a total 28 years at Mold Crown Court.
Eric Wyn Jones and Ian Wyn Jones were each jailed for seven and a half years; Kevin Wyn Jones was jailed for seven years, and Keith Jones, said to have played a lesser role in the concessionary fare conspiracy, was jailed for six years.
Former Express Motors driver Rheinallt Williams who pleaded guilty to the concessionary fares fraud conspiracy prior to the trial of the other four was jailed for one year.
At the outset of the sentencing proceedings Ian Wyn Jones pleaded guilty to having in his possession £840 of counterfeit currency.
During the four-week trial at Caernarfon Crown Court, evidence was given that between 13 June 2012 and 8 July 2014 32 concessionary fare cards were fraudulently swiped 88,000 times, extracting a little over £88,492 of revenue for Express Motors which it was not entitled to.
One card had been swiped on its own 23,217 times; and another had been swiped 13,293 times. A total of 18 cards had been swiped 75,520 times and lost or stolen cards had been swiped more than 100 times a day.
Mr Williams had been responsible of the majority of the false swipes, some 74,640 which generated £88,492 for Express Motors. The total including false C5 claims amounted to £131,865. Something in excess of £509,000 in revenue was generated by Express Motors which was not banked by the company. Regular cash payments were made to Eric Wyn Jones and his three sons’ bank accounts. That money was not accounted for or taxed.
For Mr Williams, Brett Williamson said that he had pleaded guilty on the basis that he was acting under instructions. He had fallen into grave error through misguided loyalty and fear of losing his job.
Imposing the prison sentences, Judge Timothy Petts said that for many years Express Motors had appeared to be a responsible operator providing a good service to the public.
The underlying truth was very different. Someone at Express Motors discovered a loophole in the concessionary fares scheme.
Express Motors had operated for many years based on fraud in which Eric Wyn Jones played a leading role and involved others. He got drivers to swipe the cards, even instructing one driver how to do it. He had had contempt for the abilities of the County Council staff.
The fraud, which took significant planning, was of breathtaking arrogance. It needed the agreement of all four of the bosses. They were all part of the plan to “sting” the County Council.
Eric Wyn Jones’ claim that it was a County Council “con” to recover money lost as a result of a similar concessionary fares fraud by Llanberis -based Padarn Motors was rightly regarded by the jury as farcical.
Mr Williams, who was said to be responsible for 99% of the false swipes, had played a very important role in the fraud over a long period of time.
A Proceeds of Crime hearing was adjourned until a date to be fixed.
