Lucy Bannerman
An illegal immigrant was found guilty today of tricking the Attorney-General, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, into hiring her as a cleaner.
The jury of eight men and four women took less than 90 minutes to find Loloahi Tapui, 27, a Tongan national, guilty of fraud.
Their unanimous verdict brings to an end a saga which has heaped humiliation upon the most senior law officer in the land, after it emerged she had fallen foul of the very immigration measures that she helped to put in place as a Labour minister.
Revelations that Lady Scotland had unwittingly employed an illegal immigrant for nine months in her West London home risked ruining a high-flying career which, until the Tapui scandal broke last year, had been known only for successes. Lady Scotland's achievements include becoming the first black woman to be made Queen’s Counsel (1991); a Government minister (1995); and Attorney-General (2007).
After a four-day trial at Southwark Crown Court, the jurors agreed with Lady Scotland, who accused her former employee of telling “barefaced lies”.
Tapui, of Chiswick, West London, showed no emotion as the verdicts were delivered. She admitted having a passport with a counterfeit visa stamp between June 7, 2006 and September 19, 2009, but was cleared of using it to establish facts about herself and to earn money.
The jurors agreed that she knew she had overstayed her student visa and conned the chief law officer into hiring her as her housekeeper and dogwalker for £6 an hour.
During the trial, the court was told how Tapui refused Lady Scotland’s offer of a pay rise to £8, saying that “money was not important to her”.
However, Tapui later admitted that she was paid £95,000 for selling her story to a tabloid, with a £19,000 commission payment going to Max Clifford, the PR agent.
Tapui argued that she had never shown Lady Scotland her passport or correct documentation proving her right to remain in the UK, and that the minister had never even asked to see it.
Lady Scotland, 54, who was referred to by her married name, Patricia Mawhinney, insisted she had seen Tapui’s documents, including a passport and a letter from the Home Office, before hiring her.
She told the court she “bitterly regretted” not making copies to back up her claims, and has already been fined £5,000 — half the maximum penalty — for her failure to do so.
Duncan Penny, prosecuting, told jurors in his closing argument: “The truth of the matter is that there are lies being told here. Ultimately you are going to have to make up you minds whether Mrs Mawhinney lied to you. Is Miss Tapui lying to you?”
Christopher Hehir, defending, said his client was not interested in money, telling the jury: “You may think this case is a powerful illustration of what can happen when two very different worlds collide.
“The world of the famous and powerful like Patricia Mawhinney, the Attorney-General; on the other hand the world of those without power, influence or fame, such as Miss Tapui.
“The result of the meeting of these two women was not fortunate for either party.
“Criminal trials like this are not decided on sympathy nor on whether witnesses are famous or unknown, powerful or powerless, whether they come from the House of Lords versus a far away island”.
Tapui was cleared of possessing a false document with intent.
Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith told Tapui: “You must understand that the fraud on count three and the matter that you pleaded guilty to on count two are both very serious”.
Tapui will be sentenced on May 7 for fraud, possessing a false identity document and overstaying her student visa. She was bailed and will be electronically tagged.
Times Online
