St Helens property boss sentenced for cladding form fraud

A property boss submitted fake building cladding safety forms in a "sustained fraud" to feed his gambling addiction, a judge has said.

Thomas Clarke, of Rainhill, Merseyside, fraudulently filled in 55 forms which were introduced after the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people.

The 33-year-old admitted signing them off in the name of an unaware ex-colleague and gaining £6,000.

He was sentenced to a 15-month jail term, suspended for two years.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Clarke was "outsourced" to complete the EWS1 documents, which meant cladding could be assessed for potential fire risks, by Specialist Facade Inspections (SFI) because at the time it did not have anyone qualified to do so.

Clarke explained his membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors was "on hold" but he knew an ex-colleague who could help out and then created a false email address in surveyor Sophie Magee's name, the prosecution said.

Sentencing him, Recorder Andrew McLoughlin said: "The only reason you do not go to prison is that none of these forms were factually incorrect, so therefore the residents of these properties can at least be reassured."

The judge said Clarke had shown "disdain" to those living in high-rise buildings.

"It is a very important document because it gives confidence to the occupiers about the external wall systems," he said.

Stuart Mills, prosecuting, said Ms Magee, had received several phone calls in June 2020 over the authenticity of the forms purportedly signed by her but she "knew absolutely nothing" about them so contacted police.

In her victim statement, Ms Magee said she suffered "significant stress" as a result of Clarke's lies.

The court heard she had become concerned when Clarke began contacting her and even fled her home in fear after another ex-colleague visited her on the defendant's behalf.

The judge told Clarke he had found himself in a "proverbial hole" due to his gambling addiction, adding it was a "sustained fraud with a significant degree of planning".

Michael O'Brien, defending, said: "He made the wrong decision at each and every turn. He offers no excuses for his behaviour."

Clarke, of Second Avenue, who earlier pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation, must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 15 hours of rehabilitative activity and was issued with a five-year restraining order preventing him from contacting Ms Magee.

Five years after the Grenfell fire which killed 72 people the government banned the specific type of cladding which allowed the blaze to spread so rapidly.

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