A FORMER senior Army officer is on trial at a military court accused of falsely claiming money from the MoD to pay for his children to attend boarding schools in Dorset.

Major General Nick Welch OBE is being tried at Bulford Military Court. The prosecution says the 57-year-old applied for a Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to allow his children to stay at £37,000-a-year Clayesmore School and £22,500-a-year Hanford School between December 2015 and February 2017.

The CEA is aimed at allowing children of service personnel to remain at the same schools when their parents are posted to different locations.

But the prosecution claims Welch’s wife Charlotte spent most of her time at a cottage in Blandford Forum, close to the two schools, rather than at their stated home in London.

Sarah Clarke QC, prosecuting, read to the court details from Mrs Welch’s diary which described her attending appointments in London such as trips to watch rugby at Twickenham, physio appointments and business meetings.

Maj Gen Nicholas Welch OBE left the army in 2019 and took up a new role as Chief Operating Officer of Bournemouth Arts University.

His lawyer has said the case has been “painted as a national scandal" and that the rules of the CEA are "a mess".

Sarah Jones QC, defending, told the court that Welch could only be convicted if the prosecution proved he had dishonestly breached the rules.

She said: “Can they make you sure there is a single consistently-applied set of rules that are clearly set out and can be easily understood or will the evidence show that the methods are a mess.”

Sarah Clarke QC, prosecuting, said that Welch had a ‘legal duty’ to inform the MoD of any change of his family’s living arrangements which would mean he was no longer entitled to CEA.

The court also heard that the investigation was launched after “gossip and tittle-tattle” about him spread around Ministry of Defence headquarters.

Paul Harkness, a former brigadier in a senior position at the MoD in London, said he had been approached by a colleague advising him of “gossip” about Welch’s CEA allowance in February 2016.

Mr Harkness said: “(The colleague) said that he had heard gossip or tittle-tattle that had got to him, that people were saying that the general was claiming CEA illegally, or words to the effect.

“He made reference to the general not living in his defence quarters in London.”

Mr Harkness, who was first reporting officer in the joint support administration unit, added: “The conversation was based on gossip, it was just tittle-tattle, which I am afraid I object to – I have seen too many people ruined by gossip."

Welch denies the charge and the trial continues.