Five sentenced in British Net fraud case

Five Britons were sentenced Friday to a total of eight and a half years' imprisonment for conspiring to defraud several leading Internet banks. Jonathan Ellis and Christian Palmer, both 28, were sentenced to 12 months and two years respectively. Lisa Ramsey, 23, received a 15-month sentence. William Ross, 37, pleaded guilty at an earlier date and will be imprisoned for 30 months. Richard Henderson, 25, had also pleaded guilty and got 60 hours of community service on grounds that he had been remanded in custody for 18 months. Internet bank Egg was affected by the fraud, along with Smile, Marbles, Sony Card and MBNA International Bank. NCS confirms that no customer accounts were accessed or compromised. Staff writer Wendy McAuliffe reported from London.