A FORMER Oswestry man who was part of a meat fraud 10 years ago has been told that he has medical exemption from unpaid work.

Dale Seymour, formerly of Elm Close in Oswestry but now of Fford Madoc in Wrexham, was deemed to have played a lesser role in the fraud that cost foreign firms £600,000.

Seymour stored the meat which was ordered through a legitimate company but never paid for in warehouses in Rednal, in Shropshire in the fraud alongside his two co-defendants Darren Williams and Fahd Bux.

READ MORE: Oswestry man given biggest meat fraud bill

Seymour was given a 16-month sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to pay back the most at £5,470.63.

However, he appeared in front of Judge Peter Barrie at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Thursday,. May 16 in breach of his suspended sentence.

But it was soon clarified that he was unable to carry out unpaid work because of surgery to reconstruct his knee and probation officers did not oppose his request.

Judge Barrie removed the unpaid work requirement from his sentence.