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You and Yours - Transcript 大象传媒 Radio 4 |
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TX: 09.08.07 - Disabled Drivers PRESENTER: SHEILA MCCLENNON |
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THE ATTACHED TRANSCRIPT WAS TYPED FROM A RECORDING AND NOT COPIED FROM AN ORIGINAL SCRIPT. BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF MISHEARING AND THE DIFFICULTY IN SOME CASES OF IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS, THE 大象传媒 CANNOT VOUCH FOR ITS COMPLETE ACCURACY. MCCLENNON Now three athletes preparing to compete in the 2008 Paralympic Games are among six people arrested by police in connection with an investigation into what's claimed to be the widespread and systematic abuse of a scheme to help wheelchair users buy cars. As we revealed on You and Yours the investigation centres on allegations that some wheelchair users have repeatedly bought high value cars VAT free and sell them on for large profits. Our reporter Shari Vahl has been following this and can tell us a bit more. Shari. VAHL Well Sheila when we first revealed this investigation a couple of weeks ago we couldn't name the people who were the subject of it. But now we can - we can name some of them. And first can I stress that this investigation is still in the very early stages and no charges have been brought. Now the men - they're all men - the men involved: two Paralympic and world championship medal winning wheelchair fencers - Lee Fawcett and Philip Bramley - both from Teesside and the Great British Paralympic wheelchair basketball squad member John Hall from Derbyshire. Two others are also wheelchair basketball players - Steve Owen and Paul Buttery - they play for the Sheffield Stealers and Andy Whittle is the sixth person and he's from Rossington near Doncaster and all six have been released on police bail pending further enquiries. MCCLENNON Shari just remind us of what was going on here. VAHL Well wheelchair users are allowed to buy new cars specially adapted for them free of 17½% VAT but only for personal use. Now the Department of Work and Pensions and South Yorkshire Police Fraud Squad are investigating allegations that using their disabled status they bought up to large numbers of cars, including 60 new high value, high spec Range Rovers each in the last two years and they bought them VAT free. They've then removed the adaptations and sold them on as new immediately to another dealer for a profit. Now we understand that Bentleys, Massaratis, Porches and Lamborghinis are also understood to have been traded in this way. And what it means is that new highly desirable cars, sometimes with very long waiting lists, have been available to the public at substantial discounts whilst the wheelchair users concerned and the dealers they allegedly sell them to make sizeable profits at the expense of the Exchequer. The investigation has seen raids in four areas including Yorkshire, Teesside and Derbyshire. MCCLENNON Shari, five of the six arrested are athletes, what, if anything, do their sporting bodies have to say about this? VAHL Well I've spoken to the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association and the British Fencing Association and UK Sport, which controls the funding and a lot of lottery funding is involved in this, and all say they're monitoring the situation but they won't comment until the outcome of any trial. And I've also spoken to the solicitor representing four of the six men and he says at the moment they don't wish to comment on the allegations. MCCLENNON Shari, thank you. Back to the You and Yours homepage The 大象传媒 is not responsible for external websites |
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