Peter Taylor
Fraud *
Sentence
5.5 years imprisonment
Peter Taylor, 61, from Twickenham, posed as an antiques dealer from a Chelsea auction house, posting flyers and business cards in west London homes to target elderly and vulnerable victims desperate for money. He entered their homes to collect antiques including artworks, rugs, jewellery, furniture, and kitchenware, promising to value and sell them, but kept the proceeds (totaling around £200,000) and ceased contact. Victims included Roy Turner (lost £5,000-£10,000 in watercolours and prints), Eric Payet (lost at least £112,000 in restaurant equipment and artwork), Maria Gabriela Ponce de Leao (lost £40,000 in personal items including a cuckoo clock, Cartier box, and gold ring), and Lady Patsy Alliott (lost items including a rosewood jewellery box, causing extreme distress).
Found guilty of 11 counts of fraud following a trial. Judge Sarah Paneth noted the defendant was motivated by greed and arrogance, showed no remorse, and had two previous convictions including a 4-year sentence for a £1.4 million scam. Overall victim losses around £200,000.