A senior army doctor on £120,000 who was so aghast at being asked to move from Scotland to England he tried to use military funds to book flights back home has been fined £3,000.
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Baird-Clarke, 46, was unhappy after he was moved hundreds of miles from his job in Scotland to a role in England assisting new recruits.
A court martial heard that he booked travel back home through the Army as he would be continuing to work at the weekends but failed to tell the superior officers at his new base.
During the trial, he said he was distraught to discover he would either have to move his family to England or fly home every weekend to see them.
12:09 EDT, 19 January 2021
An Army doctor fraudulently booked thousands of pounds worth of flights to visit his family, a court heard today.
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Baird-Clarke was moved from his job in Scotland to a new role in England assisting new recruits, but was unhappy with the posting.
A court martial heard that even after he was told he could not claim an allowance for the flights, he continued to book the travel through the Army without telling his superior officers.
The prosecutor said Lt Col Baird-Clarke, just wanted to fly home at public expense so came up with a ploy to achieve his aim.