THE DIRECTOR of Fowler Oldfield was given use of a Lamborghini and London flat by James Stunt as part of a money laundering deal, the prosecution say.

The trial of eight individuals accused of washing just over £266 million of criminal cash through the historic Bradford jewellers between 2014 and 2016 entered its second official day on Wednesday.

Nicholas Clarke QC for the prosecution continued the team’s opening statement and focused on two prominent individuals involved in Fowler Oldfield.

Gregory Frankel, 44, whose address was given as Yates Flat in Bradford, became a director of GEF Trading Ltd when it was incorporated on September 17, 2008 before the company name was changed to Fowler Oldfield Ltd just over three years later, the court heard.

It began as a bonded alcohol warehouse, but by 2011 had started to deal in precious metal.

Meanwhile, Daniel Rawson, 45, of Syke Green in Leeds, was appointed Co-Director of Fowler Oldfield on December 9, 2011, the court heard.

Both are defendants in this case and deny transferring criminal property.

The prosecution argues that both had significant control over the operations at Fowler Oldfield at a time when huge amounts of cash were being processed at the premises.

The court heard on Tuesday - the first official day of the trial - that the jewellers, which was based on Hall Lane, went from modest takings from scrap gold to processing daily payments that were akin to coming “from a Premier League football stadium on a match day."

Mr Clarke said on Wednesday: “Frankel controlled the business being carried on at Fowler Oldfield.

“He signed the contract for cash to be collected by G4S.

“He knew of the volume of cash being credited to Fowler Oldfield.

“He knew the manner in which it was being delivered to the premises.

“He collected some of the cash himself.

“The CCTV footage recovered from Fowler Oldfield recorded Frankel himself carrying a rucksack of cash to the premises on 19th August 2016."

The court heard the amount was £36,455 and the footage purportedly shows Frankel letting himself into the premises through a private door, rather than the normal entrance, and drops off the bag filled with “street cash”.

Frankel was interviewed under caution following his arrest on September 21, 2016 and then a second time a year later, on September 12, 2017.

In that second interview he responded to questions about the CCTV footage.

Mr Clarke said: “He said he had brought cash in once or twice when he had received late deliveries at his home.

“He had once done this for Samir Jagirdar but could not remember when this was.

“He said that on this occasion he might have been in London the day before.”

Footage of what the prosecution claim is Rawson counting multiple bags coming into Fowler Oldfield was also shown in court, with Rawson also said to kick shut a safe that was ajar and filled with bags of cash as he welcomes representatives from Cookson Precious Metals for a monitoring visit.

The court heard both Frankel and Rawson were also the sole directors and shareholders of Fort Bullion Ltd.

This was set-up on June 25, 2015 as a joint venture between Fowler Oldfield and Stunt & Co.

But the prosecution suggested the business was “so obviously bogus” and that “nobody would in their right mind agree to this kind of deal”, with revenue forecasts that were “pie in the sky”.

Mr Clarke told the court that Frankel was also appointed Vice President of Stunt & Co and was listed as such on the company’s website.

But the prosecution again suggested this was part of an illusion.

Mr Clarke said: "There was business stationery printed to the same effect.

“It's important to remember, he never received any salary or wages or other official payments for fulfilling that role.”

But Frankel did receive benefits, according to Mr Clarke.

He said: “He received a number of benefits from this money laundering arrangement including free accommodation in a London flat and the use of a Lamborghini supplied by James Stunt."

In Frankel’s first police interview he said he was allowed to live rent-free in a flat belonging to Stunt and that Fort Bullion Ltd had intended to be an e-commerce platform to sell gold and had been Rawson’s project.

Frankel, Rawson, Paul Miller (45, of High Street in Wetherby), Heidi Buckler (45, of Lawson Court in Leeds), James Stunt (40, of Ennismore Garden Mews in London), Francesca Sota (34, of Stephendale Road in Fulham), Alexander Tulloch (41, of Delia Street in London) and Haroon Rashid (51, of no fixed abode), are all charged with transferring criminal property, namely cash, across a period of just over two years, between January 1, 2014 and September 30, 2016.

Stunt and Sota are also charged with with making a false instrument with intent that it be accepted as genuine, in other words, forgery.

This was said to have been on or around February 11, 2015.

All eight defendants deny all charges.

The trial continues.