SIGNIFICANT SHORTS : Judge is remanded over mortgage fraud

A judge was remanded on bail by magistrates at Bow Street court, central London, yesterday charged in connection with a 1980s mortgage fraud.

Richard Gee, 55, is accused of trying to defraud building societies and mortgage lenders of "hundreds of thousands of pounds". He sat at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court in Westminster until he was suspended last November following his arrest in connection with the fraud inquiry.

A statement issued by his solicitors said: "Having fully cooperated with a seven-months investigation, Judge Gee is surprised that the Crown Prosecution Service have come to the decision to prosecute him. But now that this decision has been made, he looks forward to clearing his name as soon as possible."