Final downfall of working-class hero Jim Devine

THE descent of Jim Devine from Member of Parliament to common criminal reached a humiliating conclusion yesterday when he was jailed for 16 months for fiddling his expenses.

Devine, the former Labour MP for Livingston, was branded a liar by a judge as he was sentenced for submitting false invoices totalling 8,385 between 2008 and 2009.

The 57-year-old, who is now bankrupt, became the third MP to be jailed in the wake of the expenses scandal.

The judge, Mr Justice Saunders, told Southwark Crown Court yesterday that Devine had been "lying in significant parts of the evidence he gave".

Devine's barrister, Gavin Millar, QC, said Devine had worked "tirelessly" as a union organiser and politician to help the less fortunate in society and was not a "self-interested or attention-seeking career politician".

But the judge pointed out that he committed his offences at a time when the public were "already making clear the sense of outrage they felt" about MPs' abuse of expenses.

He said: "Mr Devine set about defrauding the public purse in a calculated and deliberate way.

"These offences constituted a gross breach of trust which, along with others, had had the effect of causing serious damage to the reputation of parliament.

"Mr Devine made his false claims at a time when he well knew the damage that was being caused to parliament by the expenses scandal but he carried on regardless."

Devine had been election agent and protege of the former foreign secretary Robin Cook, who died in 2005.

Last night, Mr Cook's ex-wife Margaret said he would have been "heartily ashamed" of Devine's conduct.

"I think it is quite well known that I didn't really approve of Jim and he led Robin into bad ways with his womanising and his drinking," she said.

"He was a working man, who had done well and to that extent I suppose he was something of an icon - but he seriously went to seed latterly."

But Mr Devine did find some sympathy in his former Livingston constituency from Danny Russell, vice-chairman of the Addiewell/Loganlea Community Council.

"I'm really disappointed. I feel that he was hung out to dry," he said.

Mr Russell said the former MP attended the funeral of his wife Patricia four years ago. "He was a caring sort of bloke as I knew him," he added.

"I feel he could have been given community service for the amounts that were involved. I reckon he was goaded on."

Devine tried to pin the blame on his former office manager Marion Kinley, claiming she had paid herself more than 5,000 from his staffing allowance without his knowledge.

Devine was said to have run into financial difficulties at the time of his offences, after suspending Ms Kinley and having to hire a new member of staff. He told a pub landlord that he was being "stitched up" by a former secretary. But the judge said he had little sympathy for his claims. Ms Kinley was later awarded 35,000 for unfair dismissal by an employment tribunal.

Devine was convicted of two charges of false accounting last month. The judge said cleaning and maintenance work claimed for by Devine was either not done at all or not paid for by Devine and invoices submitted for printing work were "entirely bogus".

Two other former Labour members, David Chaytor and Eric Illsley, have already been jailed after pleading guilty.

Former Tory peer Lord Taylor of Warwick awaits sentencing after being convicted by a jury in January of falsely claiming more than 11,000 for travel and overnight subsistence.RISE AND FALL

The parliamentary career of Jim Devine may have been brief and disastrous, but for many years he was a colourful figure in Scottish political life.

A miner's son, he first worked as a psychiatric nurse then rose to become Scottish organiser for the health workers in trade union Unison. He was later chairman of the Labour Party in Scotland.

Devine was election agent for Livingston MP Robin Cook, (pictured with Devine) and he was best man when the former foreign secretary married his mistress, Gaynor, after divorcing his first wife, Margaret. Devine entered parliament in 2005 after Cook's death.

Before his election as MP, Devine gave an interview in which he confessed to having "a number of affairs" and racked up a drink-driving conviction which saw him fined 450. Friends would confirm he is fond of drink and when on form is great company at the bar. During his trial, ex-Labour whip Tom Watson said Devine was in the Strangers' Bar at the House of Commons "quite a lot".