MILITARY clerks at a counter-terrorism base syphoned off almost £1million and spent it on luxury items and plastic surgery, a court has heard. Ringleader Cpl Aaron Stelmach-Purdie, 33, had hair transplants, teeth-whitening and abdominal implants during frequent trips to Turkey. Police who searched the pay clerk’s home found nine pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes, a Louis Vuitton luggage set and four flashy watches — a Tissot and three Patek Philippes which turned out to be fake.
Outside was a souped-up Range Rover Overfinch. Det Insp John Slater said: “It was almost like something you would see on Pimp My Ride.” The troops ran a year-long fraud and money-laundering scheme from Regent’s Park Barracks in London, it is alleged.
The unit they worked for has not been named — but jurors heard it was “very classified”. Those working there were said to be “revered and respected” by the rest of the Armed Forces. Southwark Crown Court was told a catastrophic failure of financial checks and balances allowed eight serving soldiers and a civilian accomplice to make hundreds of bogus claims from the Ministry of Defence.
The funds were meant to be spent on flights, subsistence and operational allowances for troops on missions abroad. Mr Slater, from the MoD Police, said 221 fraudulent claims worth £911,608 were made between December 2014 and January 2016. Stelmach-Purdie, of Oldham, and five others — including his immediate boss Alan O’Neil, 47, of Droitwich, Worc.
