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MP trial jury is out  

By LUCY MILLARD - 19/03/1999  

The jury in the trial of Newark MP Mrs Fiona Jones and her election agent Mr Des Whicher retired yesterday lunchtime to consider their verdict. They were continuing their deliberations today.  

The verdict will be published on the Advertiser website as soon as it is known.

Mrs Jones (42) of Church Road, Saxilby, and Mr Whicher (73) of George Street, Newark, both deny making a false declaration of their General Election expenses on June 4, 1997.

Their election return showed they had spent £8,514 - about £400 under the legal limit. The prosecution has alleged they spent more than double.

The final pieces of evidence were given on Tuesday morning, the 15th day of the trial, with character witnesses for both defendants.

Prosecutor Mr Paul Mann spent the rest of the morning summing up his case followed by Mr Roy Amlot QC, representing Mrs Jones, and Mr Edward Fitzgerald QC, representing Mr Whicher, on Wednesday.

The judge, Mr Justice Jowitt, began his summing up on Wednesday afternoon and finished yesterday.

He told the jury of seven men and five women that they had to be sure that the return signed by Mr Whicher and Mrs Jones had been made dishonestly. Carelessness was not the same thing.

Mr Whicher had no experience as an agent at a General Election and Mrs Jones had said that at the time of her earlier election campaign she had been heavily pregnant and had learned little about expense returns.

The judge said: "They have said they made a fair, reasonable and honest return."

 

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