A CONMAN has been jailed for more than two years after being found guilty of duping Waverley Borough Council out of £233,000 taxpayers’ cash.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Matthew Lowe, 30, fooled council staff after sending a fake letter pretending to be Waverley’s repairs contractor Mears.

The letter requested the council alter its banking arrangements to pay money owed to Mears into a different bank account and Waverley officers fell for the trick, paying three large invoices into the conman’s fraudulent account which he set up using a false identity.

Lowe got away with the scam for four months, between January 1 and April 25, 2014, before the council’s bank grew suspicious and launched an investigation.

This ended in Lowe, who was living in a rented flat in Birmingham at the time, being unveiled as the owner of the fraudulent account and a subsequent referral to Waverley and the police.

Simon Rippon, prosecuting at Lowe’s trial, said investigators have recovered more than half of the plundered money but £94,703 is still missing.

The barrister added the conman had targeted the BBC with the same trick, but staff at the broadcaster checked with their contractor before altering its payment arrangements and thus avoided becoming a victim of the scam.

Lowe is already serving a prison sentence after earlier frauds in Bournemouth and London in 2014 and Mr Rippon added he also stole an ex-girlfriend’s bank card and used it three times to withdraw a further £450.

Amrisha Parathalingam, defending, said Lowe’s offending started after he had been laid off from a job in tele sales and continued through 2014.

Lowe pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud and theft and was sentenced to two years and three months behind bars, to be served after his current sentence comes to an end in June.

He also faces a Proceeds of Crime hearing aimed at recovering the lost taxpayer cash.

In the wake of Lowe’s conviction, Waverley Borough Council has faced further criticism of its handling of the fraud as well as calls for an independent investigation into the conduct of councillors.

The council was made aware of the scam in late-summer 2014 and in total 19 councillors, all members of Waverley’s ruling Conservative majority, were notified.

However, junior Tory councillors and opposition members were never informed and the full extent of the fraud was not made public until October 2015 only after a council whistleblower spoke out.

This prompted an accusation by the leader of Waverley’s then-UKIP opposition Diane James that council chiefs sought to “cover-up” the fraud in order to protect the council’s reputation for financial management competence ahead of last year’s election.

Speaking this week, the former Waverley employee who brought the fraud to The Herald’s attention said: “I am pleased that someone has been found guilty of the fraud, but remain deeply disappointed in how Waverley have conducted themselves throughout the investigation, particularly the lack of support given to the staff involved, who were devastated that this had happened.

“Waverley has simply looked to hide the truth and apportion blame. They should be setting an example particularly when public funds are involved, this case has cost hundreds of hours of staff time and over £90,000 has yet to be recovered. Has Waverley learned from this, has any member of senior management been sanctioned? I doubt it!”

Jerry Hyman, the leader of Waverley’s current opposition Farnham Residents group, added: “I doubt we’d know anything about this matter if it weren’t for a brave whistleblower and the careful work of the local press.

“Backbench councillors have been told nothing and the leadership rarely answer our questions, on this and so many other issues. But recalling how our councillors Scotty Fraser and John Williamson were shouted down when trying to obtain the facts of the matter at last October’s council meeting, it’s no surprise that this is becoming increasingly embarrassing for the council.

“Being the only organisation to be fooled by the fraudster’s fishing trip is bad enough, but it’s the overriding political culture of secrecy, denial, misinformation, bullying and cover-up that really beggars belief. Whatever next?”

UKIP South West Surrey has also demanded a “full, independent and transparent investigation” into the Conservatives’ conduct in relation to the fraud.

In a letter to The Herald, Rosaleen Egan, a member of the SWS UKIP group, said: “The abject behaviour of the councillors and officers over this matter cannot be allowed to be glossed over.

“The ratepayers have a right to know why their money was so badly mishandled and how a bank account was allowed to be changed when a walk down the corridor to Mears office in the council’s building could have prevented it happening in the first place.”

Defending the council’s actions, Waverley’s executive director Paul Wenham welcomed Lowe’s sentence and added the council’s losses actually amount to £25,000 following a successful insurance claim.

He said: “Waverley is delighted that West Midlands Police pursued this case, which ended with the CPS leading it right through to the prosecution.

“The majority of the [£94,703 still missing] has now been reclaimed; the outstanding balance has been met by the insurer with Waverley paying the excess of £25,000, however the council is still seeking to get this money back.

“Within hours of the council becoming aware of the incident an investigation was immediately conducted which resulted in the recovery of a significant proportion of the funds.

“The council also strengthened its processes and procedures to ensure this does not happen again and took appropriate action involving the staff affected.