Indian-origin shopkeeper convicted of fraud in Britain

Hasmukh Shingadia, 51, pleaded guilty to claiming he had more cash at a Post Office branch inside his shop than he really did, in an attempt to cover up a cash flow problem, the British media reported.

However, Shingadia, who attended the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton as the latter's guest, has been granted bail by Oxford Crown Court till the sentencing hearing next month.

The shopkeeper admitted to one charge of false accounting at his at his Peaches Spar shop between December 2008 and March 2010, but pleaded not guilty to one count of theft of 16,180.60 pounds and the prosecution will ask for this to lie on the file, the reports said.
Though High Court judge, Justice Saunders, described him as a man of "previous good character", but concluded he was "taking money from the Post Office bills to meet bills on the other side".

The judge told him all sentencing options remained possible. He said: "I am giving you no indication of what the likely sentence will be in relation to this."

The Middletons used to be customers at his Peaches Spar shop in Upper Bucklebury, Berks, near the Middleton family home, the reports said.