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Former Councillor Monika Juneja Pleads Guilty To Forgery and ‘Barrister’ Pretence
Published on: 11 May, 2015
Updated on: 12 May, 2015
Former Guildford Borough councillor Monika Juneja pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey today (Monday, May 11) of pretending to be a barrister.
Monika Juneja.
She also pleaded guilty to three charges of forgery and one of deception to obtain a pecuniary advantage.
Three further counts of fraud were dropped but remain on file.
Court 4 at the Central Criminal Court heard summaries of the various charges, the first of which related to an offence committed 15 years ago when a forged degree certificate, upping her grade from a 3rd to a 2.1, was submitted by Juneja to obtain a place on a Bar vocational course for those wishing to become barristers.
Despite failing, Juneja subsequently claimed to have passed the barrister course and obtained several posts with local authorities as a locum lawyer.
A member of the Guildford Greenbelt Group Jules Cranwell, acting as a private citizen, suspected Juneja’s professional status and made a complaint to Guildford Borough Council. The council called in an outside consultant to investigate.
“In blind panic” at the thought of her deception being uncovered, Juneja repeated her earlier offence by giving the investigator another forged certificate to back up her false claim of barrister status.
This together with erroneous information supplied by the Bar Council led investigator Dr Robin Hooper to conclude that Juneja had done nothing wrong.
However, the complaint was then referred, by Jules Cranwell, to Surrey Police whose investigation uncovered the evidence of forgeries and deception.
Juneja’s defence counsel Howard Godfrey QC, a renowned criminal barrister, called the leader of Guildford Borough Council, Stephen Mansbridge, as a character witness and read a statement from the council’s managing director Sue Sturgeon.
Cllr Mansbridge, who has stood by Juneja throughout the investigation and court proceedings, and was her sole supporter at today’s hearing, spoke highly of Juneja’s work as a councillor which culminated in her “working five days a week on the Local Plan”.
Describing her current mental state, Mr Mansbridge said that she was now a broken women who had endured relentless harassment from green belt campaigners who admitted that they were determined to get her removed from her post.
Because of the reported harassment both Cllr Mansbridge and Juneja had been advised to use extra security devices.
Answering questions put by Kate Wilkinson, the prosecution barrister on his relationship with Juneja, Mr Mansbridge said that she was a very close friend and supporter and that “political relationships are very strong”.
In a written statement read to the court, Guildford Borough Council’s managing director, Sue Sturgeon, wrote: “I found her to be a very hardworking, committed and a capable councillor… her commitment to public service cannot be doubted.”
Although the forgery charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years, the defence barrister urged the judge to consider a non custodial sentence and requested a pre-sentencing report to be completed by the probation service in Guildford.
The judge, Gerald Gordon QC, said that he was obliged to accede to the request but that this should not be considered an indication of the sentence that may be awarded.
The court is expected to reconvene on June 15, for sentencing.
See also:
Guildford Councillor Appears at the Old Bailey and Pleads Not Guilty
Court Case Commences Against Guildford Councillor – Case Referred to Crown Court
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Responses to Former Councillor Monika Juneja Pleads Guilty To Forgery and ‘Barrister’ Pretence
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See Dragon story: GBC’s Explanation of Major Land Sale Notice Error ‘Borders on Arrogant’ Says Councillor
Mary Bedforth
May 11, 2015 at 3:55 pm
Monika Juneja and Stephen Mansbridge are both directors of a company called: One Hit Consulting. What is its purpose?
Steve Thair
May 12, 2015 at 4:57 pm
I think this was covered in an earlier article – https://guildford-dragon.com/2014/08/28/lead-councillor-responds-questions-business-arrangements/
It’s an recruitment agency, basically – http://www.onehitconsulting.com/
Mary Bedforth
May 13, 2015 at 7:50 am
Thanks for that Mr Thair, I must have missed it. I assume the Dragon piece was printed in April last year. [It was published August 28 2014] Ed.]
This sentence from Mr Mansbridge’s response as quoted stands out:
“I have set-up the business with Ms Juneja because we have worked together for some years. She is a talented person and I think her skills complement my own and others in a commercial sense.”
He is either excessively loyal or is in possession of poor judgement. Guildford Borough Council (GBC) is a laughing stock. Perhaps now he should be considering his position.
I note from the [One Hit] website that recruitment to the public sector was on offer. I trust GBC was not a client.
Peter Kavanagh
May 11, 2015 at 6:44 pm
Cllr Juneja looked quite relaxed on Sunday afternoon (10th), considering the circumstances. She approached me in the beer garden of the King’s Head pub in Stoke Road to ask if I’d sign her petition regarding mayoral elections – the same one I’d refused to sign outside the polling station last week.
David Clarke
May 11, 2015 at 7:38 pm
A twice convicted drink driver giving a character reference to a now guilty former lead councillor for planning. Nice.
I hope all the decisions that this bogus person has made over the many years are now thoroughly investigated.
Guildford people should realise that there is something very wrong that the leader of the council can take time out from his duty to support someone who may receive a jail sentence.
And to be in business with her is surely ill advised, to say the least.
Many people work very hard but have never lied. As a public servant this should be even more important. Clearly not in this council.
Utterly shocking. Shame shame shame.
David Clarke
May 11, 2015 at 8:00 pm
I forgot to add that Miss Juneja has previously said, after being questioned about her fraudulent qualifications that she was being racially targeted.
She has used all manner of ways to hide her falsifications but this shows her real nature. Using the race card in this way is ruining the multicultural nature of our society.
Again, utterly disgraceful and shocking.
Shame shame shame.
Brian Miller
May 11, 2015 at 10:27 pm
Whichever councillors are appointed to be the next leader of the council and lead councillor for planning, can we be sure they have been appointed based on their ability to do the roles both in terms of effectiveness and a high moral standing?
Peta Malthouse
May 12, 2015 at 9:38 am
Anyone would think that members of the public are on trial here whereas it is Monika Juneja who has been shown to have been the cheat.
The real losers were the local authorities she received payment from on the basis that she was a barrister. Then there is the quality of the work she did for them.
The breach of trust in a public office is huge. The authority upon which she opined interpretation of Planning Law would not have been questioned because she claimed she was a barrister.
How much of her opinion was accepted by her fellow councillors at Guildford Borough Council when they were putting forward the proposals for the Local Plan we will never know.
I am not surprised that it was members of GGG who suspected her credentials as they have been robust in challenging those parts of the Local Plan that are basically wrong in law.
There was so much wrong about the Draft Local Plan that this in part must explain it. The alternatives are too awful to contemplate.