THE sentencing of a man who worked as an unlicensed door supervisor at the Running Horses pub in the town centre has been welcomed.

Jack Clegg Walsh, 29, of Cherry Tree Lane, Aughton was jailed for two years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and one of working as an unlicensed door supervisor.

He was sentenced to two-years’ imprisonment for adapting documents for use in fraud.

He was also sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for the offence of making false representations and three months' imprisonment for working as an unlicensed security operative.

These sentences will be served concurrently.

Clegg Walsh, who was working at The Running Horses in November 2017, ran away from Security Industry Authority (SIA) investigators while they conducted routine checks with Merseyside Police and they later identified him as Jack Clegg Walsh, who was working for Elite Security (NW) Ltd.

Walsh had applied to work for Elite Security (NW) Ltd under a different name and had given them falsified information. This included a licence number that was not his, an altered passport, and a photograph that matched the picture on the passport he produced.

St Helens Star:

Jack Clegg Walsh

Pete Easterbrook, SIA criminal investigations manager, said: "Jack Walsh intentionally misled his employers and broke the law by working without a licence.

"His behaviour also constitutes fraud and he is now having to face the serious consequences of his actions. This case should serve as a reminder to the industry that we will deal robustly with those who disregard the safeguards that regulation provides, and pursue any type of offending which affects our industry."

He added: "Our investigators conducted enquiries which confirmed that Jack Clegg Walsh had been refused a licence on the grounds of previous criminality.

"Further investigation secured documents that were analysed by the National Document Fraud Unit, who concluded that the copy of the passport that Jack Clegg Walsh had presented to his employer was falsified.

"This was supported by witness evidence that showed that the employment document had also been counterfeited."

Judge recorder Jeremy Lasker, who presided over the case, in summing up said: "This was a carefully thought-out fraud; sophisticated in the sense that you put a good deal of spadework into finding a donor identity and altering a relative’s licence and documents you were to use."

"There has been, as a result, some financial loss…the real concern here is public safety and the fact that through dishonest means, you took up regulated employment when you knew you would not be regarded as fit and proper to do so."

A police statement said: "St Helens Local Policing Team welcome the sentence passed against Jack Clegg Walsh.

"Clegg Walsh was sent to prison at Liverpool Crown Court for two counts of fraud and one of working as an unlicensed door supervisor at the Running Horses Bar in St Helens.

"He will spend the next two years behind bars."