Former Tory Peer From Ealing Guilty of Expenses Fraud

Majority verdict at Southwark Crown Court

The former Conservative peer Lord Taylor has been found guilty of making £11,277 in false parliamentary expenses claims.

The 58-year-old from Lynwood Road in Ealing claimed travel costs between his Oxford home and Westminster, as well as subsistence for staying in London.

Lord Taylor had denied six counts of false accounting resulting in the claims.

The jury heard that the Oxford property was part-owned by Lord Taylor's nephew Robert Taylor - who was shocked when he found the address had been misused.

Lord Taylor's post was directed to the Oxford address but he visited just twice in eight years. The ex-peer - who became the first black member of the House of Lords in 1996 - said he made the claims "in lieu of a salary" and had been acting on the advice of colleagues.

He was found him guilty by an 11 to 1 majority at London's Southwark Crown Court.

Eddie Tang, part of the legal team which represented Taylor, said his client was "devastated" by the verdict.But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the jury had "seen through his dishonesty".

"He will now face the consequences of his actions," CPS lawyer Stephen O'Doherty said.

He will be sentenced later.

25th January 2011