Three quizzed in Bradford free school ‘fraud’ inquiry

Detectives have interviewed three people under caution as part of an investigation into possible fraud at one of the Government’s flagship free schools in Yorkshire.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Nov 2013, 09:24 BST
David Cameron meets children from Kings Science Academy, Bradford, during a visit in 2012.David Cameron meets children from Kings Science Academy, Bradford, during a visit in 2012.
David Cameron meets children from Kings Science Academy, Bradford, during a visit in 2012.

The men were spoken to over suspected offences at Kings Science Academy in Bradford after being invited to the city’s Trafalgar House police station on Friday, West Yorkshire Police said.

The school, which opened in 2011, has come under scrutiny after the Department for Education (DfE) published a report last month highlighting possible financial irregularities.

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It revealed that someone at the school had admitted fabricated invoices were submitted to the Government to claim thousands of pounds of public money.

The DfE initially said it had passed the matter onto police, who decided that no further action was necessary.

However, questions from the Yorkshire Post revealed that an administrative error at the UK’s national fraud reporting centre meant the report was mistakenly treated as being for information only. West Yorkshire Police subsequently launched an investigation.

The force said the men questioned were identified as a result of enquiries by detectives from the West Yorkshire Economic Crime Unit. Detective Superintendent Lisa Griffin, head of crime for Bradford, said: “I will be considering all the information and potential evidence gleaned so far and over the coming weeks to ensure that the investigation is both thorough and swift.”