Former councillor speaks of three years of hell after money laundering aquittal

A former Sefton councillor has spoken of his three years of hell after finally being acquitted of money laundering.

David Barton, who formerly represented Dukes ward for the Conservatives, walked free from court on the directions of a judge, without his case going before a jury.

He said the case had cast a shadow over his life and prevented him from pursuing his political career and from gaining work outside of the council chamber.

He said: “This has stopped me from seeking employment elsewhere and has in fact directly impacted at times on my progression as a local diplomat, resulting in me losing opportunities to represent my constituents on national TV.

“I have suffered much abuse during this long period of uncertainty and peril which has included verbal and physical abuse on the street ranging from people shouting at me and even a man pulling a knife on me whilst assisting residents in town in front of my youngest sister during broad daylight hours. It truly has been like living in a shadow realm for the past 4 years.”

“I should like to thank the many people and businesses across the town that have supported me throughout this horrible saga where other people in authority have let me down.”

“Regarding returning to my post as a local Councillor, I am having discussions with the relevant bodies at a higher level other than the local party. I’ve already received favourable feedback on this, but I have to go through the proper channels, and can’t give further details until I have concluded discussions elsewhere. Those discussions are in their infancy and I don’t want to jeopardise them at this early stage.”

Rob Mann of Draycott Browne solicitors, who secured the acquittal, said: “The acquittal was secured following a successful submission of no case to answer. An original trial, involving several defendants, followed a complex financial investigation into a fraud which took place over the course of 18 years, with the case becoming the longest running trial in the history of Liverpool Crown Court, exceeding 12 months in duration. The value of the Fraud was estimated to be in the region of £8 million and the case papers were in excess of 100,000 pages.

“The investigation by Merseyside Police and the Specialist Fraud Unit commenced in 2013/14 with our client originally requisitioned in February 2016. The trial commenced in April 2017 and a formal not guilty verdict was recorded by the Court in respect of our client on the 18^th October 2018.

“Accused of Money Laundering, our client, a high-profile former Conservative councillor of previous impeccable character, was severed out of the trial of his co-defendants after 137 days of trial.

“The Prosecution elected to re-try him and one other defendant. Significantly, we were able to secure consideration of a legal argument, submitting that there was no case to answer, before the scheduled retrial was due to begin. The trial Judge was successfully persuaded that there was insufficient evidence for the case to be placed back before a Jury.

“We all wish David well in putting his life back on track after it having essentially been placed on hold for the last three years.”

David added: “For the last three years I have been living a nightmare.

It was with both joy and a great sense of relief that I was finally exonerated of any wrong-doing at Liverpool Crown Court on the 18^th October 2018.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my legal team, Michael Neofytou and Robert Shaw of 25 Bedford Row Chambers, London together with Rob Mann of Draycott Browne solicitors, Manchester.

All three of them believed in me throughout and guided me through the most turbulent time of adversity that I have ever faced.

I would also like to thank all those friends and former constituents who stood by me during this extremely stressful time. To all of them, I am extremely grateful.

I now seek to concentrate on re-building my life.”