Copland six deny involvement in £2.7m fraud against Brent Council

Copland Community School in Cecil Avenue, Wembley (Image: Archant)

The former head teacher of a Wembley secondary school has appeared in court today where he denied any involvement in a £2.7million fraud against Brent Council.

Sir Alan Davies, 65, allegedly siphoned a fortune from the council in bonuses while headmaster of Copland Community School in Cecil Avenue - and then ‘covered up’ his activities.

Davies, who lives in Mill Hill, is accused of conspiring to defraud the council with Dr Richard Evans, 55, a former deputy head and education adviser to David Cameron, and the then chairman of governors Indravadan Patel, 73.

Former school bursar Columbus Udokoro, 62, HR manager Michele McKenzie, 53, and ex-vice chair of governors Martin Day, 58, are also said to be part of the alleged fraud.

Davies, Evans, McKenzie HR manager, Day, Patel and Udokoro appeared at Southwark Crown Court where they all denied conspiracy to defraud.

Davies, who was knighted for his services to education, is said to have received more than £900,000 in ‘inappropriate payments’ while Dr Evans allegedly obtained £600,000.

Davies is also accused of one count of laundering £270,490 by transferring the sum from a bank account in England to a Spanish account in March 2008.

He is further charged with six counts of false accounting, said to have taken place between April 2007 and June 2009 - to ‘cover up his activities’.

Davies denies one count of conspiracy to defraud, six counts of false accounting and one count of transferring criminal property.

Evans from Barnet, Hertfordshire; Indravadan Patel, 72, from Stanmore, Middlesex; Udokoro, 61, from Greenford, McKenzie, 52, from Ruislip; and Day, 57, from Halstead, Essex, each deny conspiracy to defraud.

Judge Anthony Leonard QC remanded all six on bail ahead of their trial on September 16, which is to be heard by Judge Deborah Taylor.