Ex-Northampton MP David Mackintosh charged over election donations

David Mackintosh, seen here at a previous hearing in October 2022, denies the charges

A former Conservative MP has appeared before a court charged with covering up donations to his general election campaign.

David Mackintosh, who has pleaded not guilty, will face trial in October along with four others.

He is accused of not disclosing the true origin of thousands of pounds of payments to Northampton South Conservative Association in 2014.

Two men who had previously admitted similar offences have been sentenced.

The prosecutions are the first of their kind under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).

The charges follow a lengthy police inquiry into the disappearance of £10.25m loaned to Northampton Town Football Club.

Mr Mackintosh, 49, was first elected to the Northampton South seat in 2015, but stood down ahead of the 2017 general election.

Reporting restrictions had been placed on the proceedings against Mr Mackintosh and another man - Hertfordshire-based businessman Howard Grossman, 61.

The BBC challenged the restrictions at a hearing in November.

But the Crown Prosecution Service told the latest hearing at Northampton Crown Court that it would not be applying to renew them.

Mr Grossman has been charged with the same offences under PPERA and has also pleaded not guilty.

'Transparency vital'

Two other men, Nirav Vinodray Sheth, 49, from Stanmore, west London; and Leonard Western, 72, from South Oxhey, Hertfordshire, had previously pleaded guilty.

Both men have now been handed six-week prison sentences suspended for eight months.

A third man, Alan Mayfield, 66, from Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, was fined £6,000 in August 2021.

All three made donations to Northampton South Conservative Association in 2014 without declaring the true source of the money.

Lady Justice Eady told Sheth and Western one of the key objectives of PPERA was to "establish and ensure transparency as to the finances of political parties, in particular to allow voters to be aware of financial relationships between donors and those whom they fund".

She added: "Such transparency is vital in a functioning democracy."

Three other people have pleaded not guilty to the alleged offences and will face trial alongside Mr Mackintosh and Mr Grossman.

They are Gary Platt, 66, from Harrow in north-west London, and husband and wife Sharad Bhimjiyani, 67, and Nutan Bhimjiyani, 61, also from Harrow.

The charges against Mr Mackintosh and Mr Grossman are:

• that between 4 January and 9 May 2014, they failed to provide the details of the source of three donations of more than £500 to Northampton South Conservative Association

• that between 4 June and 23 September 2014, they failed to provide details of the source of six donations of more than £500 to Northampton South Conservative Association

The indictments against both men state the source of the donations was Howard Grossman.

In response to today's sentencing of Sheth and Western, a Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: "We welcome the sentences imposed by the judge.

"However, this remains a live case and, as such, it would be inappropriate for Northamptonshire Police to make any further comment at this stage."