VOTERS caught up in an alleged election fraud conspiracy said to be led by two councillors told a court that handwriting on proxy voting forms was not theirs.

Four more Burnley voters took to the witness box at Preston Crown Court and said that after signing the form, it had been filled in by someone else.

In all four cases the Daneshouse and Stoneyholme voters' writing was in blue ink and the rest of the form was filled in in black, the court heard.

David Turner QC, prosecuting, asked Shazan Uddin, of Folds Street, Burnley, whether he had filled the rest of the form in using black ink and whether he had written on the form that he required a proxy vote because he was abroad from May 15 2004 and June 20 2004. Mr Uddin said: "No".

Mr Turner added: "Is this your handwrIting and did you tell anyone that you would be abroad during that period?" Mr Uddin said: "No".

Christopher John Lincoln, of Cameron Street, Burnley, said the address on his form had obviously been filled in by someone else as it was not spelled correctly.

He told the court: "I lived there for 20 years. I think I know how to spell Cameron Street."

Daneshouse with Stoney-holme Liberal Democrat councillors Mozaquir Ali, 44, of Brougham Street, Burnley, and Manzur Hussain, 58, of Milner Street, Burnley, both deny conspiracy to defraud a returning officer in local government elections for Burnley Council in 2004.

The jury at Preston Crown Court had previously heard that out of the 195 proxy votes submitted from the Daneshouse and Stoneyholme ward, 167 were for Coun Ali.

The court has also been told how council officers became concerned when proxy votes arrived with the same handwriting and around 50 declaring "holidays" as the reason why they had to vote by proxy.

Jurors have heard proxy voting was available for people who could not participate in the all-postal election for reasons such as holidays, work commitments and incapacity.

(Proceeding)