Former National Trust employee jailed after over £1m fraud

A building surveyor from Bristol has been sentenced to six and half years in prison after being convicted of 28 offences relating to over £1m of false invoices to the National Trust.

Roger Bryant, 73, of Coombe Close in Barnstaple, Devon was employed by the National Trust as a building surveyor and was responsible for a budget of more than £500k a year.

Between January 2008 and October 2013, he submitted invoices to the organisation for building work that was not completed.

The charity believed it was paying two companies, JR Contracting and SB Construction, for work that had been completed but later discovered payments to both firms were being made to bank accounts controlled by James Bryant.

The National Trust made 148 payments totalling £1,125,304.86 before the fraud was discovered in October 2013 when the charity sought to update its approach to procurement.

Judge Burgess KC called Bryant’s offences “audacious and protracted” and noted his position of trust within the organisation.

Following the trial, the National Trust said it was "pleased with the outcome".

"We trust our staff to do their jobs efficiently and honestly which is vitally important to an organisation responsible for looking after many different places in such a wide geographical area," it said.

"We have all been very shocked at the crimes committed by a trusted member of staff."