Sunak's former aide among 15 in court over ‘election gambling offences'
Rishi Sunak's former aide has appeared among 14 others in court over alleged election gambling offences.
Senior Conservatives, including Craig Williams, 39, who served as the Tory MP for Montgomeryshire and Cardiff North, have been charged with cheating at gambling and three counts of enabling or assisting others to cheat on the date of the 2024 general election.
Mr Williams, of Llanfair Caereinion, Welshpool, served as parliamentary private secretary to Mr Sunak during his time as prime minister.
At Westminster magistrates court on Friday, Mr Williams appeared wearing a black suit and grey tie alongside 14 others charged with similar offences.
Others included former Tory member of Senedd Russell George, 50, and Thomas James, 38, the suspended director of the Welsh Conservatives.
The charges come after 'Operation Scott' was launched to investigate alleged gambling by politicians and employees of the Conservative Party in the lead-up to the 2024 general election.
Mr Sunak had noted that elections would take place in the second half of the year but had not given a date.
Prosecuting on behalf of the Gambling Commission, Sam Stein KC said: 'Operation Scott was an investigation launched by the gambling commission into politicians and employees of the Conservative Party, and a former police officer ... who had placed bets on the date of the 2024 general election with the benefit of confidential or insider information as to when that date might be.
'The prosecution says that placing bets with inside information is a criminal offence, namely cheating.'
Mr Williams was first the MP for Cardiff North between 2015 and 2017 before he lost his seat to Labour MP Anna McMorrin.
He was then elected as the MP for Montgomeryshire at the 2019 general election which he lost in July last year.
Before the July 4 election was called, planning took place at Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquarters, the court heard.
The 15 defendants are alleged to have placed bets based on confidential information gained from those rooms, or enabling others to place bets by passing that information on.
If convicted they could face up to two years in prison for these offences.
On Friday, Simon Chatfield, 51, from Farnham, Surrey; Russell George, 50; Amy Hind, 34, of Loughton, Essex; Anthony Hind, 36, of Loughton, Essex; Thomas James, 38; Charlotte Lang, 36; Anthony Lee, 47; Laura Saunders, 37; Iain Makepeace, 47, from Newcastle Upon Tyne; Nick Mason, 51; Paul Place, 53, from Hammersmith, west London; and James Ward, 40, of Leeds, all appeared in court.
Former MP Williams along with Jacob Willmer, 39, from Richmond, west London, and former police officer Jeremy Hunt, 55, of Horne in Surrey, also appeared.
The 15 defendants will appear at Southwark Crown Court on July 11.
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