Director spared jail over mortgage lies

Jan 30 2010 by Garry Willey, The Journal

A COMPANY director who lied about his salary to fraudulently obtain a mortgage has been ordered to do unpaid work as punishment.

Tony Hindhaugh was convicted of telling a mortgage firm his salary was higher than it was in order to get £65,000 out of them.

The former reality TV show star and Vineyard owner is now bankrupt, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

He was found guilty of one count of obtaining funds by deception after a trial last month during which he was also cleared of a similar charge and a count of deception.

Now a judge has imposed a community order and told the 39-year-old he must do 120 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Recorder Graham Hyland told him: “What saves you from immediate custody is the fact five years have elapsed since the commission of this offence. It seems you are doing your best to keep your life on an even keel and bearing these factors in mind a community order is appropriate.”

Hindhaugh was company secretary with pub chain Sir John Fitzgerald and married to the boss’s stepdaughter at the time of the deception.

During his trial it emerged he had lied to the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society about his salary when re-mortgaging his luxury home in Whalton, Northumberland.

He submitted an application that claimed his salary was £100,000 when in fact it was £90,000.