THE trial of a Gloucestershire hospitals chief and four other people accused of involvement in a massive NHS fraud has today been transferred to Bristol Crown court.

All five defendants appeared briefly before Gloucester crown court for a preliminary hearing and were told by Judge Jamie Tabor QC that the trial, expected to last six weeks, would be better suited to Bristol.

The Gloucester jury box simply was not suitable for a case where jurors would need to handle a great deal of paperwork, he said.

In the dock was the acting associate director of Capital and Development of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 47-year-old Royston Dyke, together with fellow defendants Vincent Smith, Graham Fallows, Peter Potente and Claire Neely.

Mr Dyke is accused of conspiring with Mr Smith and Mr Fallows to commit fraud at The Docks, Gloucester.

He is alleged to have abused his position between January 1, 2012 and November 6, 2015 to make a gain of £782,990 for himself and the two others.

Mr Dyke, of Stroud Road, Gloucester is also accused of conspiring with Mr Potente to commit fraud between May 1, 2013 and November 6, 2015 to make a gain for himself and Potente of £187,500, also at Gloucester Docks.

Fallows, 57, of Oxstalls lane, Longlevens also faces the first charge, as does 56-year-old Mr Smith of Innsworth Lane, Longlevens.

Mr Potente, 53, of Chartwell Close, Hempsted, Gloucester faces the charge involving £187,500.

Ms Neely, 46, of Stroud Road, Gloucester is charged with being involved in the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property, namely £36,582 on behalf of Royston Dyke.

Prosecutor Sarah Regan said she was not yet in possession of all the papers in the case so there could not be a 'meaningful' hearing today. She asked for further time to get her case papers in order.

She said Mr Dyke has also been accused of further similar offences and is on bail concerning those till Oct 3. In due course the prosecution was likely to ask for them to be joined with the current charges.

One of the defenced advocates, Dermot Clarke, said that as far as he was concerned it was a definite jury trial case.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC voiced his concern that the case had been listed today for no practical reason.

"It is not helpful that these cases come before the court prematurely like this," he said. "It puts everyone on the back foot."

Bailing all the defendants to a plea and case management hearing at Bristol crown court on Nov 16th the judge told all ifve defendants "If you are pleading not guilty your trial will not be this year. That is inevitable. It will be sometime in the New Year."