Seven men accused of being involved in a plot to c

Seven men accused of being involved in a plot to cheat
philatelists in the deliberate misprinting of ‘rare’ stamps
were cleared today Tuesday.

They were acquitted on a judge’s direction who accepted
defence submissions at the end of the two-month long prosecution
case that there was insufficent evidence for a jury to convict.

The submissions were opposed by the prosecution but accepted
by the judge who formally directed the jury to find them not
guilty, and discharged them.

But the trial at Southwark Crown Court continues against an
eighth man, Clive Feigenbaum, 52, of St Margarets, Mount Park
Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middx.

He denies conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to use false
instruments and fraudulent trading.

Acquitted of both conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to
use false instruments were: Ronald Grover, 58, of Lodge Farm,
Lodge Road, Beaulieu, Hants, Frederick Hughes, 71, of Downs Road,
Thornton Heath, Surrey, Aart Lagerwaard, 46, of Canbury Close,
Marchwood, Southampton, Ronald Wallen, 46, of Oak Cottage,
Allington Lane, West End, Southampton, Brian Pillinger, 43, of
Overlane, Almondsbury, Bristol, and John Smith, 39, of Canford
Gardens, New Malden, Surrey.

Hughes was also cleared of fraudulent trading and Grover,
Wallen, Lagerwaard and Smith were cleared of aiding and abetting
fraudulent trading.

Also formally cleared was printer William Peeling, 70, of
Beech Wood, North Down Road, Woldingham, Surrey, who at the start
of the trial admitted fraudulent trading.

But he subsequently changed his plea to not guilty and he
was formally found not guilty by the judge.

All seven were granted costs out of central funds.

Judge Cotran, addressing the smiling men, told them:
‘You should not feel in any way that this prosecution has blotted
your characters.

You were charged, and rightly so, and on the
evidence presented you were acquitted.

‘
Mr Michael Worlsey, QC, prosecuting, had said in his opening
speech to the jury that either a colour or perforations were left
off stamps in the printing process and sometimes both were –
creating ‘double rarities’.

Sometimes the word ‘specimen’ was printed on the stamp,
making it equally rare.

He said a well known stamp dealer was used as the main
outlet.

‘World-wide, stamp purchasers were out-and-out swindled,’
said Mr Worsley.

‘The rarity value was based on the fact that such stamps
are never supposed to reach the public.

‘
He said the stamps, produced in London for colonial governments,
were made to look as if they were rare examples created by accident.

At the centre of the alleged plot was Format International
Security Printers Ltd of Parkhouse Street, Camberwell,
South East London who ‘brazenly’ produced bogus stamps, called
‘funnies’, or ‘specials’ in enormous quantities said Mr.

Worsley.

The main outlet, he said, was well known stamp dealing
company Urch Harris of Bristol.

When police raided Format and the warehouse of London and New
York International Stamp Co.

Ltd they recovered ‘enormous quantities
of bogus stamps.

‘
Mr Worsley continued: ‘If the the stamps had been sold at
the catalogue price of Urch Harris the amount involved runs into tens
of millions of pounds.

It is an enormous trade we are concerned with
in this trial.

‘
They were printed in such large numbers they could not
be released on to the market all at once.

He said other businesses involved in the alleged conspiracy
included agent company Philatelist Distribution Corporation
Ltd, of Chandlers Ford, Hants.

Another outlet for the ‘funnies’ was London and New York
International Stamp Co.

Ltd.

, but Urch Harris, of Clifton, Bristol,
was one of the main outlets, he said.

Mr Worsley said Feigenbaum controlled printers Format and was also
concerned in PDC Ltd and was a director of Urch Harris and boss of
London and New York International Stamp Co.

Ltd.

The trial against Feigenbaum alone continues.

ENDS