The remaining defendant in a case of bribery for service contracts between a Slough-based machinery maintenance firm and the confectionery company Mars sentenced at Reading Crown Court to four years' imprisonment. Four other defendants were convicted of conspiracy to defraud Mars and corruption in December 2005.
Philip Ronald Gray (date of birth 05/08/55) was a middle manager at Mars UK Ltd on the Slough Trading Estate. He was responsible for maintenance of buildings. During a ten year period up to June 2001 he conspired with others to defraud Mars and to corruptly receive reward as an inducement to show favour to Ironfirm Ltd (trading as "Excel Engineering"), a Slough company that provided maintenance services to Mars.
Following a joint investigation with Thames Valley Police Economic Crime Unit, Gray and four others were charged in November 2004. All five were tried in 2005. Four - Barry Simpson, Roger Harper, Anthony "Tony" Welcher and Georgina Welcher - were convicted on 8 December 2005 and sentenced the following day (see note 1). The jury could not come to a verdict on Gray. He was retried in July 2006 and convicted on 17 July 2006.
Gray was charged with the same two counts (see below) as the other four defendants. The evidence demonstrated that he accepted around half a million pounds in corrupt gifts and payments over the ten year period. The full conspiracy is estimated to amount to over one million pounds in illicit payments to Gray, Tony Welcher and his wife, Georgina Welcher.
The charges:
Count 1 - Conspiracy to corrupt
From about January 1991 until about 30 June 2001 the defendant conspired with others that contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, Barry Simpson and Roger Harper should corruptly give, and Philip Gray, Anthony Welcher and other agents of Mars UK Ltd, and Georgina Welcher should corruptly accept or obtain gifts or consideration namely cash and/or items of value and/or services, as inducements or rewards for showing favour to Ironfirm Ltd (trading as "Excel Engineering"), Barry Alexander Simpson and Roger Harper in relation to the business of Mars UK Ltd, namely:
- The placing of orders by Mars UK Ltd with Excel Engineering;
- The authorising of payments to Excel Engineering for work done;
- The authorising of payments to Excel Engineering for work not done;
- The authorising of overpayments to Excel Engineering
Count 2 - Conspiracy to defraud
From about January 1991 until about 30 June 2001 the defendant conspired with others to defraud Mars UK Ltd by:
- Issuing purchase orders on behalf of Mars UK Ltd to Excel Engineering for work which was not required and/or was not done and/or provided for excessive charges to Mars UK Ltd;
- Submitting invoices for such work;
- Authorising payments on account of such invoices;
- Procuring that Mars UK Ltd, through payments of inflated invoices, providing funds for such payments and other gifts.
Confiscation proceedings are underway.
Notes for editors:
Details of the sentences and a background to the case were published in a press release on 5 May 2006 when reporting restrictions were partially lifted. That press release can be seen on www.sfo.gov.uk (click News and 2006). It contains no mention of Gray because of a then prevailing court order prohibiting his inclusion in any publicity ahead of his re-trial.
