Northampton Town: Seven people charged in missing loan probe

Northampton Town Football Club borrowed the money to improve its stadium

Seven people have been charged with electoral offences by police investigating a missing £10.25m loan to Northampton Town Football Club.

The six men and one woman have been charged over donations made to Northampton South Conservative Association in 2014.

It is alleged they failed to ensure the true source of the money was disclosed.

They are due to appear before Northampton Magistrates' Court on 16 July.

The hearings will take place almost six years after the launch of Operation Tuckhill, the police inquiry into the disappearance of money loaned by Northampton Borough Council to the football club to pay for the redevelopment of its East Stand and nearby land.

The stand remains uncompleted.

The defendants have been charged under a section of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 which requires donors of over £500 to a political party to give details of the source of the funds.

The seven due to appear before Northampton Magistrates' Court are:

• Nutan Bhimjiyani, 60, and Sharad Bhimjiyani, 65, both of Headstone Lane, Harrow

• Nirav Vinodray Sheth, 47, of Uppingham Avenue, Stanmore

• Gary Platt, 65, of West Drive, Harrow

• Alan Mayfield, 64, of Hill Farm Road, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross

• Leonard Western, 70, of Holmside Rise, South Oxhey, Watford

• Parekh Brijkumar, 65, of Broken Gate Lane, Denham

It is alleged that they "without reasonable cause, being the principal donor of a donation of more than £500 to a registered party, namely Northampton South Conservative Association, failed to ensure that, at the time when the donation was received by the party, the party was given all such details in respect of the person treated as making the recordable donation as were required by virtue of paragraph 2 or 2A of Schedule 6 to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000".