Ex-MP David Chaytor loses appeal as judge brands him dishonest

The attempt by disgraced former MP David Chaytor to have his prison sentence reduced was thrown out by the Court of Appeal today.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, condemned Chaytor for damaging "our priceless democratic system" and called his attempt to fiddle parliamentary expenses "seriously dishonest".

The judge added: "It is difficult to exaggerate the levels of public concern at the revelation of significant abuse of the expenses system by some MPs who ... betrayed the public trust. The result was serious damage to the reputation of Parliament with correspondingly reduced confidence in our priceless democratic system."

At Southwark Crown Court in January, Chaytor, 61, was jailed for 18 months after admitting three counts of false accounting. He had submitted bogus documents to falsely claim more than £22,000 in IT services and rent. But the former Labour MP for Bury North appealed against the sentence, claiming it should only have been one year.

The three appeal judges acknowledged he had been humiliated and his good character destroyed but added "this sad fall from grace was entirely self inflicted" and the sentence reflected the exceptional nature of the case.