A MAGISTRATE who fraudulently claimed more than £20,000 in expenses has been sentenced.
"For more than 10 years Janson sat as a magistrate and performed an invaluable public service. Unfortunately we uncovered evidence that he was also stealing from the public purse since 2006."
Carlton Janson (19/12/1943), of Bradford Park Drive, The Haulgh, Bolton, pleaded guilty four counts of fraud: two of obtaining property by deception and two of fraud by false representation.
At Burnley Crown Court today, Tuesday 19 February 2013 he was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Janson worked as a Magistrate/Justice of the Peace (JP) at Bolton Magistrates’ Court from April 2000 until 2011.
In October 2011, a court official contacted Janson’s employer to discuss his sittings but was informed he had retired the previous month.
A subsequent claim for financial loss allowance (FLA) was submitted by Janson, dated 26 October 2011 for £578.10 to cover the period 6 - 26 October 2011. The expenses included claims for FLA.
An investigation was launched and Janson was found to have submitted FLA claims while he was on leave from his employer or off work sick. A review of his mileage expenses found it had been inflated by 17 miles per day.
In total, Janson fraudulently claimed £22,917.47 between April 2006 and April 2011.
Detective Constable Neil Tate, from the Volume Fraud Team, said: "For more than 10 years Janson sat as a magistrate and performed an invaluable public service.
"Unfortunately we uncovered evidence that he was also stealing from the public purse since 2006.
"The cost to the taxpayer is considerable and his actions calculated and committed over a prolonged period of time.
"He perhaps thought that because he was in the privileged position of upholding the law he could break the rules or that they did not apply to him. They very much did and this case shows the police, CPS and courts will take positive action against those who break the law, regardless of their standing."
