UK House of Lords member jailed over expense fraud

LONDON – A British judge has sentenced a member of Britain's House of Lords to 12 months in prison for making fraudulent expenses claims.

John Taylor, a Conservative Party legislator, was convicted in January of submitting false claims for travel and accommodation costs totaling about 11,000 pounds (US$18,000).

The 58-year-old Taylor had told administrators his main home was 56 miles (90km) away in Oxford, west of London, when it was actually in the British capital.

Passing sentence, Justice Henry Saunders said Tuesday that an expense check scandal exposed in 2009 had dented the reputation of both chambers of Britain's Parliament.

In all, 392 current and former legislators were ordered to repay a total of 1.12 million pounds in expenses.