Noel Edmonds accuses police of cover-up

Victims of an alleged multi-million pound banking scam, including TV star Noel Edmonds, have accused Avon & Somerset Police of a cover-up involving “bent coppers”.

They accused Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Sue Mountstevens of failing to hold the force to account following a “corrupt” investigation, at a heated public meeting on Tuesday.

In a written statement to the police and crime panel, Edmonds claimed there had been “systemic criminality” at Lloyds Banking Group headquarters in Bristol and widespread “collusion” to conceal it, amid allegations the company forced businesses to close in order to recover millions of pounds in loans and fees.

The star’s official website is dedicated to seeking justice for himself and other victims.

Lloyds set aside £100million in compensation for victims of a major fraud at HBOS, which it subsequently took over, but has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing regarding its Bristol operations.

Corrupt financiers from HBOS in Reading were jailed in 2017 for the £245million loans scam which destroyed numerous businesses, including the former Deal or No Deal host’s firm Unique Group.

Despite an offer by Thames Valley PCC Anthony Stansfeld to assist its investigations, Avon & Somerset Police declined and insisted it had found no evidence of crime at Lloyds in Bristol.

But after an appeal for help by victims, backed by Edmonds, the police and crime panel has now agreed to launch its own inquiry.

The celebrity posted a video on Facebook of the eve of the meeting calling for the watchdogs to intervene.

https://www.facebook.com/lloydsliars/videos/vb.433552143693510/785508875147099/?type=2&theater

One victim, Trevor Mealham, from Kent, told the panel at Weston Town Hall that Avon & Somerset fraud officers had effectively investigated themselves.

He said: “This is very, very corrupt. You’ve got bent coppers.

“We want to know why your fraud investigators never see criminality. There are detectives who aren’t doing their job.

“Mountstevens doesn’t know her role. Her job is to uphold her oath to hold the police to account.

“We either want police officers arrested or for people to be held to their oath and their public duty to stand down.”

Panel member Afzal Shah, a Labour councillor for Easton, said:  “In terms of the Serious Fraud Office and National Crime Agency, having looked at all the evidence they’ve not deemed that there is a case here.”

But the panel promised to investigate, with Bath councillor Mark Shelford telling Mealham: “We will take away both your statement and the background evidence we’ve got so for and make a deliberation in private.

“However, initial research into this suggests that I’m very sympathetic to your case.

“I think there are questions to answer and I would be keen to ask the office of the commissioner if we could have access to the police branch that did the investigation and talk to those officers to bottom out some of these questions.”

Sue Mountstevens says no evidence of a criminal offence was found

Mountstevens said: “The police have considered the allegations and found there is no evidence of a criminal offence.

“The National Crime Agency has also investigated extensively.

“I’ve had assurances from the chief constable that the police will continue to evaluate any correspondence from individuals who are unhappy with the outcomes, and wherever new evidence is received the police will investigate it.”

In his statement, Edmonds said: “The evidence I’ve amassed concurs… that there has been a deliberate cover-up of systemic criminality by Lloyds Bank employees in Bristol headquarters.

“Furthermore, I’ve seen evidence which strongly suggests the criminal behaviour has been conducted on an industrial scale and involves the collusion of other authorities in the Avon & Somerset territory.

“I understand that Avon & Somerset (Police) claims to have investigated certain aspects of the alleged criminality.

“However, in view of the extent and seriousness of the alleged fraudulent activity and the claims by MPs and Anthony Stansfeld that Avon & Somerset are, for whatever reason, failing to investigate Lloyds Bank with the same diligence and determination as Thames Valley, all Lloyds victims call upon the Avon & Somerset police and crime panel to pressurise the PCC into initiating a full investigation of Lloyds Bristol headquarters.”

Adam Postans is a local democracy reporter for Bristol

Main photo courtesy of Bristol Live