News
Former Bolton Council employee jailed for stealing nearly £900k from client benefits accounts
He had been transferring the money to his own accounts for a number of years.
A former Bolton Council employee has been sentenced to jail this week after admitting to stealing from client benefits accounts.
Richard Shaw transferred £893,296 to himself from benefit claimants’ accounts held by Bolton Council between 2015 and 2023 – which he had been managing as part of the Council’s Financial Protection Team, before he was subsequently suspended when mismanagement of appointeeship cases was discovered.
He was then sacked for gross misconduct in March 2023, after the Council identified and reported the possible fraud to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
A lengthy investigation by GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit then began, with ‘full cooperation’ from Bolton Council, which went on to show that Shaw had been transferring the money to his own accounts for a number of years.
He also transferred money between clients’ accounts in an attempt to hide his fraud.
Investigations in 2023 showed several bank transfers to nine personal accounts held in Richard Shaw’s name – with just over £250,000 transferred to one account, and £215,000 to another.
During the investigation, it was established that Shaw spent £100,000 buying a holiday home in Lancashire, and almost £18,000 on garden improvements.
It is estimated to Shaw’s failure to act in the best interest of his clients meant he lost them a total of £129,749 in unclaimed benefits.
Two BMW cars and several high-value items – including computers and bikes – were seized during a warrant at Shaw’s home address of Harrier Close in Bolton on 27 April 2023, when he was initially arrested on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position and money laundering.
Shaw failed to attend his first court appearance on 23 September 2025 and was then arrested on the same day in Blackpool. He initially denied fraud by abuse of position, but then went on to change his plea to guilty at Bolton Crown Court in December 2025.
He was finally jailed for four years and eight months at Bolton Crown Court yesterday (18 February 2026).
Read more:
Speaking following Shaw’s sentencing this week, Detective Sergeant Daniel Sanchez, from GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, said: “In his role as an appointee officer, Shaw was responsible for managing 120 client cases. Shaw abused his position of trust within the council, transferring clients’ money to accounts he had set up in his own name.
“His systematic theft and haphazard spending was uncovered by our financial investigator.
“There will now be a Proceeds of Crime hearing to reclaim the rest of the money so the council can be reimbursed.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
All students in England to be offered the chance to do a new Ukrainian GCSE
Emily Sergeant
All students in England are soon to be offered the chance to do a new Ukrainian GCSE.
Said to be part of the UK’s ‘enduring support’ for the Ukrainian community and continued commitment to stand with Ukraine and its people, young people in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will now have the opportunity to study for a new Ukrainian GCSE, the Government has announced.
While the qualification will be open to all students, it marks a ‘particularly significant’ milestone for Ukrainian children and young people living in the UK.
It’s hoped that the introduction of the new GCSE will help Ukrainians to preserve a vital connection to their language, culture, and identity.
It’s also hoped that it’ll open pathways to future education and employment for all pupils.
In line with the other modern foreign language GCSEs that are currently on offer, the qualification will assess listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, while also recognising the cultural and historical contexts that shape the Ukrainian language.
Examination board AQA will now begin the next phase of development, bringing together language and subject experts to design what will be a ‘high-quality’ qualification reflecting the richness of Ukrainian language and culture.
Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, commented: “As they build their lives here in the UK, it is right that Ukrainians and their children should have every opportunity to maintain that connection to their heritage and to be proud of who they are.
“This new qualification is available to all pupils and will give them the chance to develop their language skills and celebrate Ukraine’s rich culture and history, while also opening pathways to future study and employment and strengthening our partnership with Ukraine.
Read more:
“Through that enduring partnership, we are building the lasting ties between our countries that will see the young minds of the future move forward together, and foster connections that transcend borders.”
The Ukrainian GCSE is expected to be available for first teaching from September 2028 – with first assessments taking place in 2029.
Featured Image – Taylor Flowe (via Unsplash)
News
More arrests made in connection with ‘significant’ alleged financial irregularities at Greater Manchester uni
Emily Sergeant
Further arrests have been made in connection with ‘significant’ alleged financial irregularities at a university in Greater Manchester.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that two people have been arrested as part of its ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities at the University of Greater Manchester – formerly the University of Bolton – between 2014 and 2025.
Two warrants were executed yesterday morning (4 November 2026) – one in Bolton, and another in South Yorkshire.
Subsequently a man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice, and fraud by the abuse of position, while a man in his 60s has been arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice, and fraud by false representation.
The arrests come, as mentioned, as part of an ongoing investigation.
GMP’s Major Incident Team opened a fraud and bribery investigation a year ago after it received allegations from The Mill, and a subsequent report from Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) commissioned by the university’s Fraud Response Panel.
Since then, detectives have been working closely with the Crown Prosecution (CPS)’s Serious Economic Crime team, and are said to have been making ‘painstaking’ enquiries to independently compile evidence that is ‘impartial’ and ‘robust’.
“We’re exploring evidence indicating over £1 million’s worth of fraudulent activity. As part of our enquiries, we’re probing around 60 transactions and investigating more than a million emails,” GMP said in a statement.
Detective Inspector Matthew Donnelly, from GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, added: “This remains a complex and extensive investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery and financial misconduct at the University of Greater Manchester.
“The offences for which these individuals have been arrested on suspicion of are serious and include allegations of fraud, witness intimidation, perverting the course of justice and money laundering.
Read more:
“Any actions that seek to interfere with, influence or undermine the integrity of a police investigation will not be tolerated.”
He concluded: “I would urge anyone who has information which may assist our investigation to come forward and speak to us.”
Featured Image – UoGM (via Facebook)
Emily Sergeant -
19th February 2026 
