Major general jailed after claiming nearly £50,000 for boarding school fees
Nick Welch has been retrospectively dismissed from army and ordered to pay back the money
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A senior army officer who fraudulently claimed almost £50,000 in boarding school fees has been jailed for 21 months.
Major general Nick Welch was sentenced at Bulford military court on Friday, the day after he was found guilty of fraud following a month-long trial.
The 57-year-old, who left the military three years ago, is thought to be the most senior military officer to be court martialled since 1815.
The case concerned the two-star general’s application for £48,000 in allowances towards fees for his children’s schools – Clayesmore School and Hanford School – between December 2015 and February 2017.
He had applied for the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) – a payment which covers 90 per cent of fees to allow the children of military personnel to continue at the same school when their parents are stationed elsewhere.
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The investigation was launched in February 2017 after a neighbour alerted the authorities about the Welch family’s absence from the London home.
Welch and his wife Charlotte said they were living in military accommodation in Putney, London, meaning they would have been eligible for the CEA.
However, Charlotte broke the allowance’s requirements by spending more than 90 days in one year at her home in Blandford Forum, Dorset, nearer to her children’s schools.
The major general denied any dishonesty, saying he thought he had complied with the rules, as his wife lived with him most of the time.
While his barrister, Sarah Jones QC, described the 90-day rule as a “mess” which was not strictly enforced, the prosecutor Sarah Clarke QC claimed Welch had tried to “manipulate” the figures on his family’s locations.
General Sir Richard Barrons, a former army chief of staff, was among those who vouched for Welch’s character, describing him as a man of “unimpeachable integrity”.
But this did not sway the seven-person court panel, made up of a civil servant and senior figures from the army, navy and air force.
Judge Advocate General Alan Large said the panel sentenced Welch “on the basis the defendant behaved dishonestly throughout”.
As well as his custodial sentence, which will be served in a civilian prison, Welch was told to pay the money back.
He was also retrospectively dismissed from the armed forces, meaning he will not be able to benefit from the rank of retired major general.
Judge Large said: “A disciplined organisation such as the army relies on those in rank and authority to set an example and to be beyond reproach.
“The higher your rank, the more important it is that you uphold the values and standards of the army in which you serve and when an officer of the rank of major general offends as you have, the potential to erode discipline and undermine morale is considerable.
“We have no doubt you understand that your rank of major general and role as the assistant chief of general staff are factors which aggravate the offence and require recognition in the sentence.”
Welch’s barrister said the defendant was remorseful and that he acknowledged “he had not taken enough care”.
Describing the impact of the sentence, Ms Jones said: “It will shake the foundations of the man and what he has achieved and what he has failed in two things he cared about most, for his career is brought to an ignominious end and his family life has been shattered as his children are distraught and his wife puts a brave face on things.”
The court heard Welch joined the Army in 1984 and had served for more than 33 years when he retired in 2018 from his position as the assistant chief of general staff at Ministry of Defence (MoD) headquarters in London.
He had been awarded a number of medals, including for his service in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and for long service with good conduct.
Judge Large said: “In stark contrast to the events leading to your conviction in this trial, you had a highly successful military career, served your country with distinction on operations and you were a fine ambassador for your service and nation.”
Speaking on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said that it was “only right” for an investigation to have taken place.
“It has been proven in this case that the retired Major General Nicholas Welch OBE did commit fraud and therefore he will be sentenced accordingly,” they added.
Additional reporting from PA