An Army Colonel fraudulently claimed nearly £100,000 in allowances to send his children to one of the leading public schools in Britain, a court martial has heard.

Colonel Roddy Lee paid "lip service" to regulations so he could claim money to send his children to Marlborough College, it was alleged.

A court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, was told the officer abused a scheme which seeks to prevent disruption to a child’s schooling caused by postings around the UK and abroad,

The Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) enables service personnel of all ranks to send children to boarding school, with up to 90 per cent of the costs covered by the taxpayer. However, to be eligible, the family home cannot remain in the same location for successive postings.

During the school year 2015/16, Col Lee, 52, claimed £98,306.80 in school fees for his children's education.

Prosecutors allege that Col Lee became ineligible for the allowance because he was posted in 2015 to Hampshire which was less than 50 miles from his family home near Devizes, Wiltshire.