Southwark Crown Court Sentencing Results

Kuldip Singh, a serving Metropolitan Police officer, was part of a group that staged deliberate vehicle collisions and made fraudulent personal injury and vehicle damage claims. On 11 March 2016, a delivery van driven by another group member collided with a car Singh was driving; his four passengers were also involved in the scam, leading to five fraudulent personal injury claims totalling £33,362. Singh also ran a car hire company and made false insurance claims: after a rented Mercedes crashed, he falsely alleged a burglary to claim £16,145. He also falsely reported leased cars as cloned to avoid liability for collisions and traffic tickets, and made a false police report entered on the police database. He was dismissed by the Metropolitan Police in November 2017, fled the country, and was extradited from Georgia in March 2026.

Richard Courtenay fraudulently obtained £450,000 in Covid bounce back loans by making nine applications of £50,000 each between May and June 2020 for five linked hotel companies. He made fraudulent declarations about turnover and applied for multiple loans when businesses were only allowed one. He failed to use the funds for business purposes and transferred them into personal accounts or accounts of his other companies.

Raymond Simpson assisted Steven Long's fraudulent business activities and was convicted of fraud by abuse of position. The court found he had helped Long in the fraudulent scheme and had acted to make a personal profit without taking risk. He refused to leave his home in Portugal for trial and was tried in his absence.

Between 2008 and 2018, Steven Long ran multiple business ventures under the Universal Wealth Preservation banner and linked companies. He targeted elderly and vulnerable people through door-to-door leaflets and hotel seminars, offering trusts, wills and Lasting Power of Attorney services. Clients were promised secure, ring-fenced, risk-free investments, but Long diverted their money into high-risk overseas investments without consent. More than 100 victims lost a total of £11,577,762, and Long used the proceeds to fund holidays in the USA and Dubai, properties and other personal spending.

Kevin Nwamma was part of a gang that impersonated police officers to defraud eight victims of more than £4 million in cryptocurrency. Victims were told their cryptocurrency was at risk and were persuaded to provide account details or transfer funds to accounts they believed were secure police accounts. The gang used convincing fake police websites and laundered stolen funds through a complex financial network. Investigators traced criminal proceeds to Kevin Nwamma by identifying transfers from wallets containing stolen cryptocurrency into bank accounts associated with his luxury chauffeur and transport business.

Anthony Ikenwe was part of a gang that impersonated police officers to defraud eight victims of more than £4 million in cryptocurrency. Victims were told their cryptocurrency was at risk and were persuaded to provide account details or transfer funds to accounts they believed were secure police accounts. The gang used convincing fake police websites and laundered stolen funds through a complex financial network. Officers identified more than £1 million in cryptocurrency linked to wallets controlled by Anthony Ikenwe.

Hamza Bashir was part of a gang that impersonated police officers to defraud eight victims of more than £4 million in cryptocurrency. Victims were persuaded to provide account details or transfer funds to accounts they believed were secure police accounts. The gang used convincing fake police websites and laundered stolen funds through a complex financial network. Hamza Bashir initially denied involvement and stood trial before changing his plea to guilty on the eighth day of proceedings.

Steven Bullen, 51, of Marbella, Spain, formerly of Hornchurch, Essex, was sentenced for importing, producing and supplying large quantities of cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamine over a 10-month period. An NCA-led investigation linked him to Encrochat handles and found he smuggled 1.1 tonnes of cocaine into the UK between August 2019 and May 2020, conspired to supply 410kg of cocaine and 242kg of ecstasy, and had access to chemicals capable of producing up to 2,250kg of amphetamine. He was arrested in Spain in April 2025 and extradited to the UK in August 2025.

Zak Archbold, 30, of Braintree, Essex, was a courier company team leader at a depot in Stanford-le-Hope. He conspired with a drug trafficker to smuggle cocaine from the Netherlands into the UK, using advance notice of Border Force inspections to swap labels on parcels containing cocaine. He helped move around 28 parcels containing up to 12kg of cocaine each and was due to be paid £750 per kilogram of cocaine successfully smuggled.

Ariana Rose posed as a house-sitter and a landlady to defraud victims and steal valuable possessions. While entrusted to look after properties, she stole jewellery, war medals, a CBE, limited-edition books and other items, sometimes replacing them with counterfeits. Her fraud totalled approximately £67,000, which she used to fund foreign holidays, luxury meals, designer clothing and a Rolex watch. Officers recovered stolen items from her property after her arrest.

Steven Brookes made six fraudulent Bounce Back Loan applications across five companies between May and October 2020, obtaining £300,000 while disqualified as a company director. He inflated or fabricated turnover figures and used a family member's identity without their knowledge to conceal his involvement. Funds were spent on family holidays, private school fees, an Audi, personalised number plates, and other personal spending. Only £7,494 has been repaid.

Daniel Pugh, a 'finfluencer', defrauded 238 investors out of £1.3 million by using Facebook adverts to promise unrealistic returns of 1.4 per cent a day, 7 per cent a week or 350 per cent a year. Running the scheme from his bedroom in Devon, he claimed returns would be generated by trading across various markets. Only 19 per cent of funds collected were actually traded, and the scheme operated as a Ponzi scheme with another individual. Pugh received £96,000 from the scheme, spending it on designer clothes, restaurants and cash withdrawals. He continued to attract investors even as the scheme collapsed.

Gabriela Stan, a 25-year-old organised crime gang member, stole more than £116,000 worth of beauty products from Boots stores in London and across the UK between April and December 2025. A multi-force investigation linked her to 50 high-value thefts using mobile phone data, ANPR, facial recognition and CCTV. She was charged with 14 offences and admitted involvement in 36 further offences while remanded at HMP Bronzefield.

Roland Duffield, dubbed Exotic Painter on EncroChat, bought cocaine usually by the kilo. He met with Gearing to split drugs and exchange money. Arrested at his home on July 6, 2022, with drugs found on him.

Patric Ciwinski attempted to fraudulently set up a false universal credit claim in the name of the victim, discovered through documents and fingerprint analysis in a witness's hire car during the NCA investigation. No funds were received before the fraud was identified.

Noreen Malik, wife of Kashid Rashid, participated in setting up or using bogus businesses to fraudulently apply for three Bounce Back Loans totalling £150,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The funds were used for family expenses such as house renovations, credit card debt, private school fees, vehicles, and trailers. Attended voluntary interview in June 2021 and declined to answer questions.

Kashid Rashid, along with family members, set up or used bogus businesses to fraudulently apply for three Bounce Back Loans totalling £150,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The money was used for house renovations, credit card debt, private school fees, vehicles, and trailers. They cited adverse effects from the pandemic and inflated annual turnovers to qualify for maximum loans. Voice notes showed Rashid discussing creating false invoices. A further application was rejected. Rashid also fraudulently claimed universal credit using an alias, failing to disclose a child and using a false address. He legally changed his name nine times to frustrate credit checks. Arrested in August 2020.

Rehaan Mohammed, nephew of Kashid Rashid, participated in setting up or using bogus businesses to fraudulently apply for three Bounce Back Loans totalling £150,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The money was distributed to family members or used for personal expenses including house renovations, private school fees, vehicles, and trailers. Submitted the final unsuccessful application using a dormant company. Arrested in April 2021 and declined to answer questions.

Rizwan Haider, brother of Kashid Rashid, participated in setting up or using bogus businesses to fraudulently apply for three Bounce Back Loans totalling £150,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The money was used for personal and family expenses including house renovations, private school fees, vehicles, and trailers. Attended interview in October 2022 and declined to answer questions.

Between December 2016 and January 2019, Edias Mazambani authorised the issuing of thirty-four payments totalling £218,306.84 from GSST accounts, exploiting overpayments on previous invoices. This fraudulent money was filtered through other accounts, and he received a minimum of £78,123.93. A further £100,000 in payments was stopped by NHSCFA due to suspicion.

An accomplice in a plot to smuggle spice, a synthetic cannabinoid, into HMP Swaleside in Kent.

A serving prisoner had a prohibited relationship with a prison officer and conspired to smuggle spice, a synthetic cannabinoid, into HMP Swaleside in Kent. He was already behind bars and had the extra term added to his existing sentence.

A former prison officer at HMP Coldingley in Surrey engaged in prohibited relationships with two inmates, confessing love to both and having sex with one in the prison chapel. She later became engaged to that prisoner and conspired with him and an accomplice to smuggle spice, a synthetic cannabinoid, into HMP Swaleside in Kent.