A former Kent County Council energy chief is facing jail after being found guilty of a £2 million fraud.

Ross Knowles was convicted of one charge of fraud involving British Gas and cleared of a second involving NPower by direction of the judge.

The 42-year-old Cambridge graduate was head of energy procurement for the south east region, which buys gas and electricity for KCC and other local authorities at the best prices.

Over a 14-month period, Knowles, who earned £66,000 a year, extracted the large amount of money from British Gas and kept it for himself.

Allison Clare, prosecuting, told Maidstone Crown Court: "The essence of the fraud is really very simple."

Known as Laser (Local Authority South East Region), it was a large body dealing with "an awful lot of money" buying energy for KCC and about 120 other local authorities.

The gas contract was with British Gas and the electricity contract with NPower.

Miss Clare said Knowles was employed by KCC in March 2007 and regarded as "a bit of a star" and a "golden boy".

"He was a huge asset to Laser, everybody thought," said Miss Clare. "That may be why he was able to perpetrate the fraud."

Knowles asked British Gas to add an extra charge at their end as a "comfort blanket", which would be reclaimed by KCC and Laser at the end of the year.

"British Gas charged that extra amount and during the course of the year a huge amount built up as a result," said the prosecutor.

After a year of the contract running, Knowles submitted an invoice for repayment of part of the money, about £400,000.

But the cash went into his own account.

"It is a remarkably simple way of him extracting money and taking it for himself," said Miss Clare.

"In a 14-month period, he manages to extract from British Gas over £2 million."

Miss Clare said Knowles spent £376,000, some of it going on a Jaguar car, £10,000 in holidays, payments to his mother and sons, payments to his solicitor over a dispute with his ex-wife and £39,000 in cash withdrawals.

Knowles, of Larking Drive, Allington, denied the allegations against him, but was unanimously convicted by the jury of six men and six women.

Granting conditional bail, including residence and surrendering his passport, until sentence on April 27, Judge David Caddick warned Knowles to expect a prison sentence.