Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman defends 'one of the best MPs' David Chaytor after he admits expenses fraud

Dec 4 2010 by Nick Lavigueur, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD MP Barry Sheerman has vowed to stand by his friend, self-confessed fraudster David Chaytor.

The former Labour MP is the first to be convicted following the expenses scandal last year.

He is facing up to seven years in jail after he pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to three charges of theft by false accounting.

Chaytor, 61, who worked at Huddersfield University (then Polytechnic) in the early 1970s and was the Calderdale councillor for Todmorden in 1982, admitted misusing £20,000 of second home and office allowances.

The charges came after the expenses leaks revealed he “flipped” his designated home six times and claimed almost £13,000 for a London flat that he already owned outright.

In total he spread more than £91,100 of expenses claims across five different properties in just five years.

In May 2009, shortly after Chaytor was accused of the theft, Mr Sheerman told The Examiner: “I’ve always found him the straightest person I could possibly imagine” and said he believed an inquiry would find he had not broken any laws.

Yesterday Mr Sheerman said he would stand by his friend and said he had been “thrown to the wolves” while other MPs had been protected by their parties.

He said: “He’s obviously made a dreadful mistake, I don’t know the details, but he was an excellent member of my committee and a fantastic campaigner for comprehensive and state education.

“I thought he was one of the best members of parliament going.

“I belong to the school of thought that you stand by your friends in the very darkest of times so I will stand by him and his family.”

Until yesterday Chaytor had denied the charges and was due to stand trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Monday.