Highly-respected current Letchworth BID boss Richard Harbon has spoken about disgraced - and now jailed - fraudster Christopher Andoh-Wilson.

As Letchworth Nub News has reported this week, Andoh-Wilson - a former Letchworth BID boss - has been jailed for 20 months after conducting a £61,000 Covid fraud.

Andoh-Wilson, 32, has been resentenced to 20 months immediate imprisonment.

The regarded Mr Harbon said: "Mr Andoh-Wilson abused the trust of businesses in Letchworth town centre at one of the most challenging periods in the town's history.

"He systematically stole money donated by the businesses and money intended to support these businesses for himself.

"The thorough and excellent investigation by Hertfordshire County Council, supported by the BID, sends out a clear message that wrong doings of this nature will be proactively investigated."

The prison verdict came after shameless Andoh-Wilson was originally handed a far more lenient sentence of a suspended two year sentence.

However, Andoh-Wilson pleaded guilty to five offences under The Fraud Act 2006 and one offence under The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 but was spared immediate imprisonment after the presiding judge was presented with character witness statements at sentencing.

To add insult to injury it emerged two of the character references given by Andoh-Wilson's representatives were not genuine. 

One of the documents in question was a certificate purportedly from the Mayor of Luton awarded for his service within the local community. 

The person who signed the certificate was not the Mayor of Luton at the time the certificate was allegedly awarded. 

The second was an employers reference which had been forged by Andoh-Wilson without the knowledge of his employers. 

This led to Hertfordshire County Council making an application to the court to consider a variation of sentence - leading to the jailing of fraudster Andoh-Wilson.