Trio deny London 2012 Olympic Stadium fraud plot

The men are accused of posing as public figures to secure confidential information

Three men have pleaded not guilty to an alleged fraud plot linked to a failed bid to take over the Olympic Stadium.

Richard Forrest, 31, Lee Stewart, 39, and Howard Hill, 58, denied conspiring to commit fraud by false representation at Southwark Crown Court.

The investigation was prompted by claims from West Ham that Tottenham had spied on Olympic officials during its stadium bid.

Tottenham denied the claims.

Bidding war

Mr Hill and Mr Forrest pleaded not guilty to conspiring together to make a false representation to obtain confidential information to make a financial gain between June and August 2011.

Mr Hill and Mr Stewart also pleaded not guilty to a similar count of conspiring to commit fraud between June and August 2011.

The allegations date back to the original bidding war to see who would move in to the Olympic Stadium, in Stratford, east London, after the Games.

Tottenham Hotspur, Leyton Orient and West Ham all made bids.

Mr Forrest, from Crawley, West Sussex, Mr Stewart, from Esher, Surrey, and Mr Hill, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, are due to appear for trial at the same court on 14 January.

The original process which saw Newham Council and West Ham named as the preferred bidder to use the stadium was collapsed in October 2011.

A new bidding process was undertaken and West Ham were confirmed as the anchor tenants of the venue last month.