A dinner lady has denied knowingly holding criminal cash in a bank account under her name for her chauffer boss husband who allegedly scammed his client out of £120,000 and splashed out on flights, holidays and cars.
Jacqueline Bleazard (51), claimed she didn’t know from where the money was coming and she was drinking at the time. A court heard.
Her husband Russell Bleazard, 50, an airport taxi boss, is alleged to have bought three BMWs, a £4,000 Japanese self-cleaning toilet and a £1,500 sewing machine using the debit card details of a client without their knowledge.
When he was paying for chauffeuring, he obtained legally the bank details from Thomas Kremer (ex-executive at Seven Towns toy company Seven Towns).
However, he then went on to use the card details to transfer £85,000 to his own chauffeuring business’ bank account, Regency Cars 4 Airports, before also purchasing more than £35,000 of goods and services for his family.
It is believed that this included self-cleaning toilets and bathrooms, along with flights to South Africa and Spain, and holiday to Cyprus.
Also, the money could have been used by the chauffeur to service or replace vehicles in his vehicle fleet including a Mercedes S-Class Mercedes and BMWs.
Jacqueline Bleazard of Budshead Road in Whitleigh is currently on trial for laundering cash through her husband’s business as the owner of the account.
Russell Bleazard of the same address is also on trial. Two counts of fraud were brought against the defendant between January 2017 and August 2017.
Jacqueline Bleazard (51) stated that she had no idea where the money was coming from, and she also claimed that she was drunk when she made the statement. Pictured: Jacqueline Bleazard leaving the Plymouth Crown Court on November 9
Russell Bleazard, 50, an airport taxi boss, is alleged to have bought three BMWs, a £4,000 Japanese self-cleaning toilet and a £1,500 sewing machine using the debit card details of a client without their knowledge. Pictured: Bleazard leaves Plymouth Crown Court on Nov 9, 2018.
In June 2017, Mr Kremer, who was the founder and marketer of many well-known toys, including Rubik’s Cube in particular, passed away.
David, his son discovered the allegedly illegal payments after looking through bank statements from the toy business following his death.
Jacqueline Bleazard acknowledged that she opened an Account in Regency Cars 4 Airports’ name on behalf her husband who was bankrupt.
She said Russell Bleazard was in day-to-day control and that she didn’t even check the bank statements.
Jacqueline Bleazard claimed that the only time she ever used the account for shopping was when her husband had not paid.
She said that Tom Kremer was a friend of hers and she described him as a loving man.
She said she didn’t know anything about the financial arrangements between her husband and the businessman, except for one car loan for the fleet.
Bleazard was a former dinner woman who had struggled with alcoholism. She told the court that she thought it was kind enough for him to lend the money for the vehicle for her business.
She claimed that Russell Bleazard had used her bank card linked to Seven Towns at the time, something she did not know.
He claimed that he had used her card.
Plymouth Crown Court has charged the husband and wife with fraud dating back to 2017.
Jacqueline Bleazard started a furniture store and was three years sober when the court heard.
Cross-examination revealed that she stated: “Russell” asked me for a bank account, but it was not something I wanted to do.
Tom Bradnock, the Prosecutor said that the company was in serious financial trouble by the close of 2016.
Jacqueline Bleazard also said, ‘I don’t know. I got drunk a lot that time.
He mentioned that they had been to South Africa and Barcelona, and had installed a brand new bathroom in 2017.
Bradnock stated that the company had seen a “sudden turnaround” in business during that year.
Witness replied, “I don’t know. I had nothing to with the business.”
Jacqueline Bleazard claimed that she got drunk while on safari in South Africa.
Bradnock stated: “Isn’t it possible that you knew from where the money came and suspected Russell of doing no good?”
Jacqueline Bleazard answered: “No. I trusted Russell, and I believed his words.”
Russell Bleazard admits to using the card, at most, for travel abroad with his family.
But the chauffeur insists that all payments were made with Mr Kremer’s authorization.
The toy boss, he claims was a “philanthropist” who insists that money should be used for his family and business.
Russell Bleazard was seen outside Plymouth Crown Court, November 9. He denied two counts.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Tom Bradnock said in his opening statement that Mr Kremer used Russell Bleazard and his employed drivers to take him from his home near Honiton, Devon, to London and around the country – paying for the service using the debit card.
The court heard that Russell Bleazard had correctly obtained card information and then transferred the money to his company, without the consent of the owners.
Russell Bleazard, who was giving evidence at his own trial said that he had met Thomas Kremer back in 2014 and they became friends on long trips to London.
According to him, Tom was very inquisitive. He wanted to find out about the family. He was an extremely generous philanthropist.
He claimed that Mr Kremer approached him after two of his cars crashed on a journey to the Lake District.
The costs involved in maintaining and replacing business vehicles were discussed by him with his customer. Kremer claims he meant to back him.
Russell Bleazard stated, “I tried to say no initially but he insisted.” He insisted that no one else knew, even Jacqueline.
He claimed that the boss of toy manufacturing agreed to fund his trip to Cyprus for him to see his stepdaughter after he said she worked there.
Russell Bleazard answered questions about the self cleaning toilet and said that Mr Kremer was interested in one.
Bleazard, however, said that Kremer later changed his mind, and asked him to keep the item for himself.
The defendant stated that he did no know the card he was using, even though it used the same company account.
He stated that he also was He didn’t know how much money was taken out of the account.
Russell Bleazard (of Budshead Road Whitleigh) denies two counts each of fraud from January through August 2017.
Jacqueline Bleazard from the same address pleaded not guilty for one count each of money laundering in the same time period.
Continue the trial.