A Chalfont St Peter hypnotherapist charged after a police inquiry into a multi-million-pound local authority loan to Northampton Town FC has admitted failing to declare the source of £10,000 he transferred from a company director into a Conservative Party campaign fund.

Alan Mayfield was fined £6,000 with £220 costs after a magistrate said the 64-year-old had breached a law specifically designed to protect the integrity of elections.

Mayfield, of Hill Farm Road, was also ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to an offence related to a donation made to Northampton South Conservative Association on May 12 2014.

The charge stated that Mayfield made the donation while failing to pass on and record details required under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act.

Opening the case against Mayfield, prosecutor Ben Close said the defendant was one of three people who had given £10,000 to a “campaign fund” for David Mackintosh, who later served as Northampton South MP from 2015 to 2017.

Mr Close said of Mayfield: “He did that having receiving monies from Howard Grossman, via a company of which he was the sole director and shareholder, called 1st Land Limited.

“The transfer of those monies was made on the 9th of May 2014.

“He (Mayfield) was transferred £11,000 and on the 12th of May – three days later – he made the transfer to Northampton South Conservative Association.”

Mr Close added that Mayfield, who had been invited on to the set of EastEnders after the visit was offered as a prize at a charity event attended by Mr Grossman’s wife, claimed he was “inspired” by Mr Mackintosh’s charity work and “wanted to support his cause”.

“The connection between Mr Mayfield and Mr Grossman is that they were friends,” Mr Close said.

Offering mitigation for Mayfield, defence lawyer Clea Topolski said £1,000 had been retained by him as he was owed the sum by Mr Grossman.

She told the court: “As Mr Mayfield put it in interview, he wished he had asked why this donation was not being made directly.”

Passing sentence on Mayfield, magistrate Dominic Goble told him: “We find that there is a high level of culpability in that you knowingly facilitated the transfer of funds from another person.

“This piece of law was specifically designed to protect the integrity of the electoral process. Therefore the potential for harm must be considered as high.”

Four other defendants charged with breaching the same law also appeared at the same court on Friday.

Sharad Bhimjiyani, 65, and Nutan Bhimjiyani, aged 60, both of Headstone Lane, Harrow, London, did not indicate any plea to an allegation that they failed to provide information about a donation made to Northampton South Conservative Association on June 4 2014.

Gary Platt, 65, of West Drive, Harrow, denied a charge of failing to provide information about a political donation without reasonable cause on April 4 2014.

Leonard Western, 71, of Holmsode Rise, South Oxhey, Watford, denied committing the same offence on April 25 of the same year.

Western, Platt and the Bhimjiyanis were granted unconditional bail to appear at Northampton Crown Court on October 6.

Nirav Vinodray Sheth, of Uppingham Avenue, Stanmore, near Harrow, has also been charged after the nearly six-year criminal investigation into the disappearance of around £10 million loaned by Northampton Borough Council to Northampton Town to pay for the re-development of their East Stand.

Sheth, aged 47, is due to appear at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on September 13.

A seventh person was also charged but has since died, leading to a decision to discontinue proceedings.