PLYMOUTH, UK (20 Sep 2007) -- A former Plymouth company director is to face trial on a charge of perverting the course of justice in connection with an alleged 'bends' fraud plot at Fort Bovisand.Anthony Robert Walker, aged 53, from Marldon, Paignton, denied two charges against him when he appeared at Plymouth Crown Court with four other men yesterday. City businessman David Welsh, 50, of Pomphlett Road, Plymstock; his brother Raymond Welsh, 47, of Harlow, Essex; diving instructor Michael Brass, 43, from Liverpool; and James Chandler, 42, from Liverpool, pleaded not guilty to all counts. The Welsh brothers, Walker and Brass deny a charge of conspiracy to defraud between June 12, 1998 and June 18, 2002. The count relates to "defrauding bodies or organisations within the NHS to make payments to Fort Hyperbaric by preparation and presentation of claims for payment related to purported emergency hyperbaric treatment of various persons for decompression illness". The charge continues: "claims were false in that such treatment by recompression or other means as claimed had not been given to such persons". David Welsh, Brass and Chandler also denied a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice on a day or days between July 10, 2002 and October 2, 2002. This second charge relates to "conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in that, at a time when they knew there was an investigation into an alleged fraud relating to the purported hyperbaric treatment of James Chandler for decompression illness, they arranged for a letter that purported to be from James Chandler to be prepared, written and posted to David Welsh, the contents of which were false and that the said letter be posted to the police via a solicitor". Walker also pleaded not guilty to a charge of "doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of justice between July 1, 2002 and May 16, 2007". It relates to making a "witness statement to the police on July 17, 2002 in which he mislead the police as to his involvement in the charge of count one". | | Anthony Robert Walker, 53, and four other dive industry insiders including David Welsh, 50, his brother Raymond Welsh, 47, scuba diving instructor Michael Brass, 43, and James Chandler, 42, pleaded not guilty to all counts related to defrauding the National Health System (NHS) with phony charges for emergency hyperbaric treatment of injured scuba divers. This third count alleges he exchanged "correspondence with the police in or about July, 2006 in which he mislead them as to his involvement in count one, and made a witness statement to the police on March 30 this year in which he mislead the police as to his own involvement in the fraud charge at count one". Walker was a director of Fort Bovisand Diver Training Ltd, and had links to other firms associated with Fort Bovisand. All five men were given unconditional bail, and the case was adjourned for a pre-trial review on November 26, at a location to be arranged. SOURCE - The HeraldSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba ForumCDNN Related TopicsUK - Dive industry insiders charged with hyperbaric chamber fraud |
