Football-club's controller jailed for six vears

From Our Corresuondent

Bletchley

Keith Cheeseman, who took over control of an ailing football club, pleaded guilty at Bedford Crown Court yesterday to "a gigantic but simple fraud "' which provided him with £287,000. He was jailed for six years for conspiracy to defraud a finance company by false r epresentation

Mr Cheeseman, aged 34, of London Lane, Bromley, London. was said to have posed as a millionaire when. he took over Dunstable Town Footbajll Cl-ub in 1975.

Two companies with which he was connected were in serious financial difficulties, it was stated. To get the cash he needed Mr Cheeseman devised the fraud. He was said to have boasted that his activities would make John Poulson look like Humpty-Dumnpty.

While much of the cash vaspumped into his conpanies¼ind the club, a lot, the court was told, went into his own pocket.: To get his hands on the moneo he had recruited two senior members of the branch at

Luton, of the Beneficial Finance Company of England to join forces with him.

Among them the three men obtained 318 bogus personal loans. Some of the applications were in fictitious names, others in the names of Dunstable Town players and even in the names. of innocent members' of the. two companies of which Mr Cheeseman was a director,

The applications all went through without a hitch, it was stated, because the men who joined Mr Cheeseman in theswindle were the finance company's office manager, David Beatt, aged 32, and the cus-

tomer service manager, Michael: Cyganek, aged 28. Mr Beatty, of Bai-k Street, Clophill, and MtK Cygan k of.. Bradley Road, Luton, both pleaded guilty to being concerned in conspiring to defraud the company by false representation. Mr Beatty.. was jailed,.forGr33 rmonihs. and-. Mr Cyganek. foir 2i. indnthi *

*M. Desmond Fennell- QC, for the jrosecution- 'said tIe. fraud was exposed y n 'internal aiidit'at 'the1fiiignce c6mpany's Luton branch.