Waltham Abbey: The trial into an alleged Jewish Cemeteries fraud - in which a Chingford woman stood accused - has been scrapped this week, costing the taxpayers £500,000.

Members of a family, who were employed by United Synagogue, were accused of a systematic fraud involving hundreds of thousands of pounds at Waltham Abbey and East Ham cemeteries.

Stopping the three-week-old trial, Southwark Crown Court judge George Bathurst-Norman condemned the United Synagogue for suppressing evidence.

Discharging the jury he said: "It shows from United Synagogue an approach so calculated to offend the very name of justice. It must be close on half a million pounds of public money that has been wasted and we may have to start all over again.

"I am sorry you have been messed about in this way. I find it quite unbelievable this should come to light in the middle of the trial."

Six people will learn next month if a second trial will begin.

They are Janet Britton, 41, of Sunset Avenue, Chingford; Eric Camp, 63, of Ibbetson Way, Loughton; Mark Camp, 38, of The Vale, Woodford Green; Paul Nathan, 47, of Ravensdale Road, Stoke Newington; Linda Foster, 31, of New North Road, Hainault; and Maria Hayes, 42, of Wren Terrace, Loughton.

Defence lawyers had repeatedly requested disclosure of United Synagogue monthly accounts but were told they did not exist.

However, the charity, which is based at Alder House in Finchley, recently produced all documents.

Judge Bathurst-Norman said: "The prosecution has been asking United Synagogue for the monthly accounts and even on November 16 they said they did not exist.

"It may have occurred to you during this case that not all within United Synagogue have been very enthusiastic about the prosecution."

It was alleged false invoices were produced on a child's printing set charging the charity for non-existent work at the cemeteries over five years for bogus orders such as pipe and fence repairs and drain cleaning.

It is claimed since the employees left, costs of cleaning items have plunged from £193,000 to £9,000.

Lawyers will return on December 3 to claim abuse of process will mean a second trial is unjust.

Former superintendent of the two cemeteries, father-of-ten Nathan is also eager to move to Israel where eight of his children and wife live, and to overturn a High Court order freezing £1 million of his assets.

The judge cleared the crown prosecution service and the police from blame.

Before the trial, Jacqueline Camp, 42, of The Vale, Woodford Green and Andrew Camp, of Bovingdon Road, Braintree, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud and will be sentenced on December 4.

November 22, 2001 12:30