Man jailed for five years over £630,000 agricultural fraud

A businessman found guilty of a £630,000 agricultural fraud has been jailed for five years.

Barry Mackland, 50, of Aberdeen, pretended to businesses that cheques he presented to them for tractors and machinery would be honoured.

His offending took place in 2022 and involved two firms in Forfar, one in Stonehaven, and a fourth in Lincolnshire.

Mackland was convicted after an earlier trial, and was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow.

The High Court in Edinburgh previously heard how Mackland had insufficient funds to make the payments after obtaining machinery.

Prosecutors originally charged with him causing businesses to lose more than £1.7m.

Defence counsel David Moggach said Mackland had not committed fraud or theft but had been unable to repay debts.

Jurors acquitted him of a number of charges, but convicted him on four charges of fraud and theft.

Lord Harrower told Mackland that most of his customers had dealt with him over many years.

“These dealings were based almost entirely on trust,” the judge said. “For many years, your business appeared to flourish.

“However, when things started to go wrong, as they did in the Spring of 2022, your wheeling and dealing exposed your customers to unacceptable levels of risk.

“You fraudulently exploited your customers’ goodwill in an increasingly desperate attempt to keep your business going.”

Moira Orr, who leads on major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, added: “Fraud is not a victimless crime.

“It strikes at and erodes the basis of trust upon which all businesses rightly depend. We take such criminality very seriously.

“Businesses and individuals suffered considerable financial harm as a consequence of Barry Mackland’s crimes.”