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Douglas East trial hears from election fraud accused

A man accused of election fraud says a campaign on behalf of celebrity chef Kevin Woodford aimed to secure as many proxy votes as possible.

The claim was made by Geoffrey Callister in a statement read out in court today.

Mr Callister is one of four defendants accused of manipulating the proxy voting system to try and get Mr Woodford elected in May 2010.

The court was told that as part of the campaign team, Mr Callister had been told by campaign manager Charles Lewin to get as many proxy votes as possible for people off-Island on election day.

He said he felt under a degree of pressure to meet Lewin’s request and did what he reasonably could.

However, he said at times being part of the team felt like being involved in a competition to see who could get the most proxy votes.

The jury also heard Mr Callister state proxy applications were readily available at the campaign office for canvassers to bring to voters’ homes.

Yet he insisted he always made it clear that, even if they signed one, they could still change their mind and go to the polling station to vote on election day.

The trial at Douglas Courthouse continues next week.

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