Father and son jailed over cunning oil scam

By Adam Evans

A father and son have been jailed for defrauded their customers by charging them for more fuel than was actually delivered.

The pair ran an oil delivery company, D White & Sons, from Creighton’s Green Road, in Holywood.

Among the victims of the business was nursing home, Barr Hall in Portaferry and the Girl Guides Association in Lorne.

Robert Stephen White, 56 and Paul White, 36 were both sentenced at Downpatrick Crown Court for Fraud by False Representation and Acquiring Criminal Property.

Robert Stephen White received a 15-month custodial sentence, 7.5 months in custody and 7.5 months on licence.

Paul White received a 12 month custodial sentence, 6 months of which will be spent behind bars.

Wendy White, 56 the wife of Robert Stephen White and mother of Paul White, received 150 hours community service order for entering into an arrangement to acquire criminal property.

The court heard she undertook office-based work and book keeping duties. She dealt with telephone orders and completed administrative records for VAT, customs and accountants, and was based at the home address Creighton’s Green Road, Holywood.

PSNI’s Detective Chief Inspector Mark Bell said: "The business operated on the trust of its customers who expected to receive the amount of fuel the defendants billed them for on each delivery. However they were defrauded by being charged for more fuel than was actually delivered.

"The offending went undetected for a number of years and involved a level of sophistication to perfect the offending, manipulating the checks and balances put in place to try and prevent this type of crime from occurring. Among the victims of the business was nursing home, Barr Hall in Portaferry and the Girl Guides Association in Lorne.

"The calculated and cunning actions of Stephen White and Paul White were despicable. They breached the trust of their loyal customers by swindling them over a five-year period. Not once did they stop and think, or care, about the impact of their callous actions.

"We hope their sentences bring some level of comfort to the victims who were conned by these merciless criminals. The public should be relieved they have been caught and are no longer able to operate their fraudulent business having been brought before the courts today."