A Shropshire businessman who helped his “ruthless” son launder the proceeds of a £183,000 fraud which ruined two recruitment agencies was jailed for two-and-a-half years today.

Alan Baker, 58, of Lydbury North, used his bank account to receive money extracted from HSBC during the course of a scam pulled off by his son Tim Baker, 35, previously of Shifnal.

Southwark Crown Court in London heard Tim Baker fooled the recruitment firms into handing over control of their finances to him, believing him to be a “white knight”. But after getting his hands on Lincolnshire-based Allied Staff Management and West Sussex firm Revo, Tim Baker set about using them to dupe the bank.

He entered into a “factoring agreement” with HSBC where the bank advanced him money owed to ASM from Revo. When Revo paid up, the money was supposed to be claimed back by the bank, but it was instead paid into an account in the name of MRS Stone Contractors, a business started by Alan Baker in 2008.

A total of £332,000 passed through the account. The loss to HSBC was £183,561.

Alan Baker was jailed for two-and-a-half years today and disqualified from being a company director for six years after being found guilty of money laundering.

Tim Baker, dubbed a “ruthless conman”, was jailed for six years last year.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Testar told Alan Baker he rejected his defence he had been duped by his son.

He said the fraud “dep-ended very largely on the account of MRS Stone being available. I am sure the def-endant knew exactly where the money in the account came from”.