Southwark Crown Court Sentencing Results

Daniel Calinescu, 42, a Romanian national with no fixed UK address, was sentenced to five years in prison after admitting four counts of theft at Southwark Crown Court on 15 October. Between July and August, he stalked elderly women who had just withdrawn large sums of money from banks, followed them to bus stops, and snatched their cash as they boarded. Victims included a 78-year-old in Battersea (£2,500), a 62-year-old in Harrow (£2,500), a 73-year-old in Hackney (£1,700), and a 72-year-old in Ealing (£4,500). On two occasions, he used a razor blade or knife to slash their bags. Calinescu worked with a gang of four to six members, all believed to be involved in targeting elderly victims; the rest of the gang is still at large.

Darren Duffy, 50, from Ramsgate, was arrested during a series of early-morning warrants on Friday 14 June 2019, as part of an investigation by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. His fingerprints were on cocaine found in Kadir's car. A further quantity of cocaine was found hidden in his fridge. He was known to be working for Kadir, with text messages confirming their dealings.

Daniel Ramzi, 26, with no fixed address, and Abderrahim Mamma stole phones and laptops from unsuspecting victims in London's financial district. Incidents included snatching a phone from a coat pocket at a Bishopsgate fast-food joint on January 15, stealing a laptop from a bag at a licensed venue on Gracechurch Street, lifting another laptop over a barrier at Leadenhall Market caught on CCTV, and targeting a pub on Old Broad Street on January 21 where Ramzi was filmed swapping bags twice.

Andrew Skeene and Junie Bowers deceived around 2,000 investors worldwide through Global Forestry Investments (GFI), presenting it as a secure ethical investment scheme to protect the Amazon rainforest and support local communities, but enriched themselves with investors' savings and pensions totalling £37 million. They paid £13 million of investors’ money into their bank accounts and used an intricate web of money transfers, forged documents and invented identities to scam pensioners and savers.

Before its collapse into administration in February 2018, Collateral offered peer-to-peer style investments on a website fraudulently claiming it was authorised and regulated by the FCA. In January 2018, the FCA notified Peter Currie that they had uncovered the Register change and ordered Collateral to cease unauthorised business. After this, Collateral not only continued to receive investments, but Peter and Andrew Currie also removed approximately £750,000 from Collateral client accounts. At around the same time, the Curries appointed an administrator without informing the FCA as they were required to, and transferred £88,000 from Collateral funds. Of the £17.9m in customer loans outstanding at the time of Collateral’s collapse, approximately £11m will not be recovered.

Alex Enyiagu participated in a £10 million payment diversion scam by intercepting emails and rerouting funds. He helped launder proceeds through UK exports to Nigeria using an informal Hawala system. The gang used 100 mule accounts and also sold fake binary currency trading investments.

Alex Hope was convicted on 9 January 2015 following a trial of defrauding investors of significant sums and operating a collective investment scheme without authorisation. Over 100 investors entrusted him with over £5.5 million. He exaggerated his trading abilities, used doctored statements and only 12% of the money was traded, with almost all lost. He spent over £2 million of investors’ money on his lifestyle including casinos, designer goods and nightlife. The scheme was closed down by the FCA in April 2012.

Adam Hawkins was convicted on 29 May 2015 following a trial at Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to defraud and operating an unauthorised collective investment scheme through three land banking companies (Plott UK, European Property Investments (UK) Ltd and Stirling Alexander Limited). As a result over 110 investors lost at least £4.3 million. He primarily worked as a salesman and was involved in the management of the companies. He was sentenced on 19 June 2015 to 6 years and 9 months imprisonment on the conspiracy count and 18 months imprisonment (concurrent) on the regulated activity count.

Tawfik worked with McDermott to target high-value motorcycles in central London from December 2016. He drove a high-powered vehicle while McDermott hotwired and stole bikes. They threatened members of the public with knives during a theft in Soho Square on 6 December 2016.

Between July 2010 and April 2014, Hugh Edwards participated in a share fraud through boiler room companies, cold-calling investors and using high-pressure tactics with false claims about land shares in Madeira. Over 170 investors lost more than £2.8m.

Between January 2016 and November 2021, Guy Flintham, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, defrauded more than 240 investors by making false representations to persuade them to invest approximately £19m in an investment scheme operated by him. He lied about being a successful trader, how the scheme was operated and the profits being made. He sent falsified trading statements showing healthy returns. Only £1.14m was placed into trading accounts, with £10m paid back to investors as ‘profits’. He spent substantial sums on an extravagant lifestyle including more than £1m on vehicles, personalised number plates, jewellery and designer goods. The scheme operated as a Ponzi scheme.

On 13 March 2018, police stopped a Ford Focus near Collingwood Road, Witham, uncovering 79 one-kilogram blocks of cocaine in four holdalls in the boot, and a further kilogram of cocaine and cash in the glovebox. A search of a property on Newlands Street found another kilogram of cocaine, a cash counting machine, and mobile phones. The total haul was estimated at £8 million. Haxhi Shehu and Fitim Prenci were both involved.

Haydar Miah, 28, was arrested in May 2025 after Bedfordshire Police suspected him of drug dealing in Luton. Officers seized over 2kg of cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy, Xanax, ketamine and £33,000 in cash. Mobile phone evidence revealed his involvement in a complex plot to import approximately 50kg of cocaine each month, routing it from Brazil through Portugal into the UK.

Federic Fagnoul masterminded a drug importation route in June 2017, flying up to 50kg of Class A cocaine per flight from Europe to Lydd airport in Kent. He used the cover story that he had been night fishing, landing his helicopter at hotel helipads before the drugs were distributed by car across the UK. Police seized the helicopter on 12 September 2017, uncovering a secret compartment under the seats filled with cocaine bags. He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 23 April.

On 13 March 2018, police stopped a Ford Focus near Collingwood Road, Witham, uncovering 79 one-kilogram blocks of cocaine in four holdalls in the boot, and a further kilogram of cocaine and cash in the glovebox. A search of a property on Newlands Street found another kilogram of cocaine, a cash counting machine, and mobile phones. The total haul was estimated at £8 million. Haxhi Shehu and Fitim Prenci were both involved.

Between October 2022 and May 2024, Fuad Hussein ran a sophisticated smishing and social engineering operation targeting elderly and vulnerable banking customers. He used the alias ‘Gogetta’ on Telegram to conspire with others, sending fraudulent SMS messages claiming unknown transactions and directing victims to call a controlled number. He operated a ‘call centre’ convincing victims of internal bank fraud, keeping them on the phone for hours to manipulate transfers or hand over bank cards to couriers. He booked taxis for card collection, instructed concealment in padded bags, and used technical advice to control victims’ screens. Evidence showed crypto transactions with other suspects. Arrested in May 2024 after search warrant; estimated losses £100,000 to £500,000, all victims refunded.

Geoff Hammond stole £99,493 while working as the executive officer of the Fellowship of St John (UK) Trust Association between 29 May 2012 and August 2013. He admitted the theft on 5 August 2013 and was immediately dismissed for gross misconduct. The charity recovered all of the stolen money. Hammond was a former Labour councillor for Higham Hill ward in Waltham Forest.

George Gray, the finance director for the Prince of Wales' former charity the Foundation for Integrated Health, stole £250,000 from the charity over a period of two-and-a-half years, moving charity funds into his accounts 35 times. He was on a salary of £80,000 a year and had debts of £850,000. The fraud was discovered by auditors in April and led to the early closure of the charity. Gray admitted theft, fraud and money-laundering.

Mba Atuonwu was part of a gang that used malware to hijack email accounts and divert payments worth over £9 million. He assisted in laundering funds via an informal Hawala system involving UK exports to Nigeria.

Mengali Freitas, 32, was the girlfriend of Haydar Miah and was arrested for her role in an organised drugs network. Phone records showed she introduced Miah to a contact to facilitate discussions about importing drugs into the UK. Although she initially stepped back from a leading role, she continued to act as a translator between Miah and overseas contacts using the WhatsApp names 'WalterWhite' and 'Ghost'.

Between July 2010 and April 2014, members of the public were cold-called and subjected to high pressure sales tactics to purchase shares in a company that owned land on Madeira. Investors were promised guaranteed returns of 125% to 228%, but none were paid. Over 170 investors lost more than £2.8 million, with many losing life savings. Money funded the fraud and Nascimento's lifestyle. He was the instigator and main beneficiary.

Matthew Pickard was a director of Ethical Forestry Ltd, which ran a £70m tree-planting investment scheme. Between 2008 and 2015, around 3,000 victims were persuaded to invest savings and pensions after being promised high returns from a tree-planting operation in Costa Rica. The funds were not properly set aside to maintain or harvest the trees, and the defendants withdrew millions to fund luxury lifestyles. EFL collapsed in 2015, leaving investors with significant losses. Pickard pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading.

Mandip Sidhu, 47, from Littleover, Derby, illegally supplied over 55 million Class C controlled drugs, including 47 million diazepam tablets, over four years. PHL stopped lawful prescriptions in July 2013 but continued acquiring millions of controlled tablets, diverting them to the black market. Forged invoices and falsified documents were used to deceive MHRA inspectors.

Manraj Singh Virdee defrauded investors of over £600,000 through misleading consumers, fraud and the illegal operation of an unauthorised investment scheme worth over half a million pounds. He lost the rest of the victims’ monies through unsuccessful FX trading and maintaining his lifestyle. The monies will be used to compensate the 24 victims of his crimes who lost in the region of £650,000 in total.

Manraj Virdee, sole director of Dynamic UK Trades Ltd, promoted an unauthorised deposit taking scheme between October 2015 and November 2017 targeting family and associates. He received approximately £600,000 from investors, some 'guaranteed' returns of up to 100%. Only £457,119 was traded and almost all funds were lost or used for his lifestyle. He also mismanaged £192,500 in spread betting, using only £10,000 as agreed.

Mark Barry Starling operated unauthorised investment schemes between 2008 and 2017, defrauding investors of just under £3m. He was prosecuted by the FCA and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. A confiscation order of £291,070.36 was subsequently made against him in Southwark Crown Court. The court found he had derived a benefit of £3,010,982.18 but only £291,070.36 in realisable assets remained after he spent victims' money on his lifestyle. The funds will compensate 14 victims who lost around £1.8 million in total.

Between 2015 and 2018, Barreto gave advice in return for a fee, without the necessary FCA authorisation, to people looking to take out residential mortgages. In the eleven cases, he dishonestly inflated the applicant’s income in their application to the lender. Barreto then paid Hussain, who created false self-employment and employment documentation including fake HMRC documents, false contracts of employment and payslips. The total value of the mortgages applied for was around £3 million.