Rogue Trader And His Loyal Wife Guilty Of Nobbling Jury

Guilty: Patrick Cleere

A rogue trader and his loyal wife have been convicted of successfully nobbling a jury by handing out cash and business cards on the court steps.

The trial of roofer Patrick Cleere, 66, was scrapped after he and his wife Rita, 66, handed out twenty pound notes to potential jurors arriving at Blackfriars Crown Court.

The couple, of Ealing Village, Madeley Road, Ealing have both been found guilty of doing an act to pervert the course of justice on July 16, last year and will be sentenced on December 20.

A total of £920 cash was seized from people - including jurors - by the court’s listing officer and another £855 cash was confiscated by police from Rita Cleere.

Also seized were distinctive wooden business cards for Patrick Cleere’s company Candleverse Ltd.

Police are still searching for the £1,775 cash they seized from inside the courthouse and from Rita after it went missing from Walworth Stations’ secure property store.

Judge Justin Cole announced yesterday: “I’m not going to sentence now.

“In relation to Rita Cleere even though this offence inevitably leads to custody I will be fair to her and order a pre-sentence report.

“Regarding Patrick Cleere it will of course be a custodial sentence, consecutive to one he is serving now.”

The court heard Patrick has a record of 53 criminal offences.

Guilty: Rita Cleere

“His sentence will certainly be custodial,” added the judge. “My starting point is a consecutive sentence to mark this offence.”

The nobbling scheme was initially successful and Patrick Cleere’s trial was postponed, however he later received nine years for scamming eleven vulnerable victims out of a suspected £388,000.

The latest trial, at Harrow Crown Court, was told the Cleere’s recruited family and friends to dole out £20 notes and the business cards to potential jurors on the steps of the courthouse. 

Patrick Cleere had failed in repeated efforts to adjourn his rogue roofer trial and this was an attempt to scupper it by compromising potential jurors with cash handouts. 

The couple recruited family members and friends to help them and they were also arrested and charged, but were acquitted of perverting the course of justice.

They are: great-nephew Adam Cleere, 23, of Wellesley Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

Patrick’s niece Natalie Cleere, 44, of Vineyard Court, Kings Parade, Clacton-on-Sea.

Rajiv Netto, 51, of Rodden Road, Frome, Somerset and Hungarian national Hajnalka Romvari, 37.

The CPS dropped the same charge against Patrick’s brother John Cleere, 68, before the trial.

After the convictions John Cleere asked one of the defence lawyers: “What about the missing money?” but was given a shrug of the shoulders.

The acquitted defendants always maintained they were innocently working on a promotion scheme for Candleverse Ltd.

The group congregated around Blackfriars Crown Court, handing out the unique wooden business cards for Patrick’s candle company, plus the cash to everyone entering and leaving.

Jurors did take cash and many of the business cards were found in the jury room, resulting in the trial being postponed.  

Prosecutor Mr. Robin Sellers told the jury: “Patrick Cleere and five others were due to stand trial on criminal charges, which he asserted he was not ready for.

“On the day of the trial Patrick and these defendants arrived together, some carrying clipboard and all wearing lanyards around their necks showing his business card.

“They approached individuals making their way in, explaining they were representing Candleverse Ltd. and were enticing people to look at the company website.

“Instead of discount vouchers they handed out twenty pound notes and the wooden Candleverse business cards.

“Most importantly and uppermost in Patrick Cleere’s mind were that these people were potentially to be selected to serve on the jury for his trial.

“The company was in the evidence of the trial so jurors may have been compromised.

“Any juror would recognise Candleverse if they received a card and maybe view the company in a positive light, known as bribing or tampering with a jury.

“These defendants together carried out this act with the intention of derailing that trial that day.

“They were arrested that day outside Blackfriars Crown Court and Adam said he did not even know his great uncle was on trial and Rita described it as a: ‘charitable exercise.’

“All of this is nonsense. These defendants knew why they were there and what they were doing and that was to derail the trial.”