A BUSINESSMAN has been cleared of any involvement in a quarter of a million pound fraud.

Llion Wyn Thomas, of Erw Goch, Morfa Bychan, was found not guilty of conspiring to commit fraud following a trial at Caernarfon Crown Court.

The 41-year-old contractor and property developer was accused of being involved with Golden Contractors Ltd, a front company that swindled companies, contractors and suppliers out of £263,000 between 1 August 2011 and 14 January 2013.

Prosecutors had claimed that Thomas was in cahoots with Golden Contractors’ director and convicted cocaine dealer Adam Roberts, of Lôn Eilian, Caernarfon, but jurors cleared him of involvement in the con after an eight-day trial and almost three days of deliberations.

Roberts had already pleaded guilty to committing fraud, while Thomas was convicted of handling stolen goods following a separate 2015 trial at Mold Crown Court.

Thomas was fined £750 and ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation when he was sentenced for being in possession of a stolen generator worth £8,500 on Monday.

That conviction related to the raid of a property belonging to Thomas at Penmaenmawr.

Officers had discovered more than £100,000 worth of stolen plant at the 41-year-old’s construction site but jurors cleared him of eight out of nine charges of being in possession of stolen goods.

During his trial on those matters, Thomas had insisted he had no idea the plant was stolen and would only say he bought it from a Manchester underworld figure called Dan.

He refused to elaborate further, saying he was in fear of his safety and that of his family.

Police investigating that matter also discovered storage containers on the Penmaenmawr site that had been purchased from Jonathan White, another drug dealer from the Caernarfon area.

During his trial on the fraud charge, Thomas insisted throughout that he had no idea that Adam Roberts was acquiring goods and services without paying for them.

Roberts had been sub-contracted by Thomas’ LWT Construction company to carry out redevelopment work on properties including an old chapel at Penrhyndeudraeth.

Roberts opened credit accounts with various companies, including Plumb Centre, Brandon Tool Hire, HSS Hire, Cemex UK, Aer Cymru, Strickland Direct, Winstanley Group, Spanwright UK, Evans and Reid, ProPaint and Ewe Plumbing, amassing debts of £263,000 when he had no intention of paying them back.

The contractor, who is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence for separate drugs offences, was able to open the credit accounts thanks to references from Llion Wyn Thomas.

However, Thomas maintained that Roberts was acting alone and his barrister Jason MacAdam told jurors his client was a respected businessman who had himself been caught up in the con.

“He started out on a small scale and ended up with a lot of properties,” said Mr MacAdam.

“He had a good trading history, the sort of reputation that was valued.”

He added: “This man here has been taken for a ride, just as much as any supplier.”