Stories for 3 November 2007

The Northern Echo News

Houses raided in probe into boiler-room scams

HOUSES have been raided in the first criminal investigation into boiler-room scams.Police in County Durham and North Yorkshire joined forces with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to search properties thought to have been used to run or support an illegal investment operation connected to overseas boiler rooms.Similar raids by police officers and FSA investigators were carried out in London and Hampshire, on Wednesday.Two men were arrested in connection with the investigation into Universal Management Services (UMS), which the FSA believes has been helping illegal boiler rooms overseas.Boiler room operations usually work by employing people to cold call unwary investors and pressure them into buying worthless shares. The sales force is usually housed in a cramped room where conditions are almost unbearable - like a boiler room. Boiler rooms are not authorised by the FSA and act illegally by selling and promoting the sale of shares in the UK.In the majority of cases, the shares being sold are worthless and the boiler room vanishes, leaving the investor out of pocket.The company whose shares are being traded may be an innocent victim.The investigation followed complaints from consumers, who had been told by known boiler rooms to make cheques payable to UMS.Investigators discovered that in a 12-month period, UMS, together with related organisations GS Asset Management and Continental Administrative Services, sent more than £5m of investors' money overseas.The FSA has obtained orders freezing assets of £5,450,000 relating to the inquiry.Jonathan Phelan, head of retail enforcement at the FSA, said: "This is the first time we have taken this action and it shows that we will not hesitate to use our powers to protect consumers, including launching criminal investigations where appropriate."Mr Phelan urged investors to be cautious when they are cold called by any firm offering to sell shares and to always ensure they are FSA authorised before making any financial agreement.The investigation is ongoing. Anyone found to be operating an unauthorised financial service could be charged under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and face two years' custody.UMS customers are asked to call the FSA consumer contact centre on 0845-606-1234.  more...

Victim's son to repay a fraction of stolen cash

THE son of a murder victim who plundered thousands of pounds from the bank account of a mentally ill man will have to pay back only a fraction of what he took.A judge ruled yesterday that Kevin Hogg, 20, no longer had much of the money he stole while acting as an unofficial carer for Kevin Ward, 52.Hogg, whose mother, Julie, was murdered when he was three, stole £37,618, and tried to take £27,000 during six months.He was jailed for 21 months in March after he admitted eight counts of theft and obtaining money by deception, but was recently released from prison.Yesterday, he was back at Teesside Crown Court to face an application by police under the Proceeds of Crime Act to retrieve the money he took.But Judge Peter Bowers, who told Hogg in March that the reservoir of sympathy people had for him had been exhausted, heard he has only £2,571 in assets.At his sentencing, the court heard that Hogg took out loans in Mr Ward's name, and had a new bank card and pin number in Mr Ward's name sent to his address.He posed as Mr Ward to access the cash and, on one occasion, Hogg, of Harland Place, Stockton, even took him to a branch of the Halifax to apply for a £15,000 loan.The deception only came to light after Mr Ward's daughter became suspicious when her father mentioned he had a new carer. She called social services and was told there was no new carer looking after him.Instead, it was Hogg, who had deliberately conned his way back into the life of Mr Ward after he cared for him some time earlier while working for Brooklea Services for Mental Health.When the daughter found her distressed father clutching documents relating to debts accrued in his name, she called police.Hogg withdrew money to fund a lavish lifestyle, and even after his arrest, he continued his thefts.When police searched his home, they found "practice signatures" and bank letters.Hogg's grandmother, Ann Ming, campaigned to have the 800-year-old double jeopardy law overturned so her daughter's killer, Billy Dunlop, could be brought to justice.Dunlop had been charged with the 1989 murder of the pizza delivery girl, but was acquitted after a trial. Nine years later, he confessed to the crime and was jailed for perjury.But he was not jailed for her murder because, according to the law of double jeopardy as it stood, Dunlop, who had been in a relationship with Julie, could not be tried twice for the killing.At Hogg's court case in March, his barrister, Duncan McReddie, said the death and the high-profile campaign of his grandmother had a significant effect on him.Mr McReddie said the publicity provided him with kudos and friends, but left him needing to live up to an image through excessive spending, and that he squandered more than £80,000 in inheritance money and bank loans.Judge Bowers told Hogg: "What you did here was deliberate. It was planned and it was motivated by greed."  more...

No action over death of crash row mum

NO POLICE action is to be taken following the death of a North-East pensioner.Devastated over the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision, Hayley and Owen Doyle last night spoke for the first time since their 61-year-old mother, Wendy, died after being injured during a back street row.Mrs Doyle became embroiled in an argument in Millbank Terrace, Shotton Colliery, County Durham, in July.Following a minor collision involving Hayley's car, a heated exchange erupted between Mrs Doyle and a local man.During the confrontation, Mrs Doyle fell to the ground and sustained a serious head injury. She died in hospital two days later.A man was arrested at the time on suspicion of assault but, after he answered bail yesterday, police said that on the advice of the CPS no further action was to be taken.The news has shattered Hayley, 27, and Owen 25, who last night were struggling to come to terms with the fact that "no one is to be held accountable'' for their mother's death.The incident rocked the close-knit former mining community, where Mrs Doyle was one of the best-known residents.She was involved in many organisations, from mother and toddlers groups to play schemes, as well as being a key member of the community centre for the past 17 years.A devoted and tireless supporter of the Newcastle Vipers Ice Hockey team, Mrs Doyle was also the former lollipop lady at Shotton Primary and Peterlee's North Blunts Schools, and was a familiar face to many generations of east Durham children.Still reeling from her mother's untimely death, Hayley said: "It is impossible for us to come to terms with the CPS decision. I was there and I know what happened."We have lost all faith in British justice and we believe there is someone who will have to live with our mother's tragic death for the rest of their lives."  more...

He lost his brothers and his mother. Yesterday he turned up at court to see their killer jailed

MACAULEY GILBERT is nine years old today. Sadly, he has no mother to organise his party and no brothers to celebrate with.Yesterday, when he should have been looking forward to a day of fun and laughter, he was taken to court where the driver who killed his family was sent to prison for seven years.Police believe 23-year-old Scott Easton fell asleep at the wheel of his delivery van the morning after a drinking session with friends and going to a late-night party.Easton had slept for a maximum of three hours before he started his shift, delivering newspapers and magazines across Teesside, County Durham and North Yorkshire.After the accident, on the A1 in North Yorkshire, in March, police and forensic scientists calculated Easton was still over the drink-drive limit when he caused the crash.The tragedy claimed the lives of Citroen Saxo driver Neil Jex, 37, his fiancee, Paula Gilbert, 29, and her sons, Tristan, three, and seven-month-old Kaiden.Ms Gilbert's other son, Macauley, was the only survivor from the hatchback, which spun out of control, left the road and collided with trees.Macauley, who attended Teesside Crown Court with relatives yesterday, suffered two broken legs and a broken wrist.He was taken to hospital in Middlesbrough by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and is now being looked after by Ms Gilbert's parents. He is said to have made "a good, albeit protracted, recovery". He will still need an operation to remove metal pins from his legs.The court heard that Easton's drowsiness meant he did not see the family's car in front of him on the A1 near Kirkby Fleetham, between Leeming and Catterick, at about 8.40am.Easton had been drinking in bars in Stockton the previous night and went to a party at a friend's house until between 3am and 3.30am, said Andrew Dallas, prosecuting.Mobile phone records show he received and opened a text message at 5.35am, and received three calls between 5.38am and 5.49am, as well as more texts until 6.08am.Mr Dallas said: "The inference is that between about 5.30am and 6.15am, his sleep must have been disturbed. The defendant, we say, had had a very limited amount of sleep."He must have been well over the limit when he got up for work, but he did arrive at his depot on schedule after apparently driving to work in his mother's car."Colleagues later told police they thought Easton looked tired, and other motorists who saw his van on the A66, between Teesside and Darlington, noted his worrying driving.One said he was so concerned by the Transit veering onto the verges that he stayed a distance behind, and looked for a police car to stop the van.After a delivery at the Tesco store in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, Easton travelled to Piercebridge, near Darlington, and then south on the A1 towards Catterick and Bedale.Police calculated that Easton would have had the Saxo in his sights for a minimum of 44 seconds and a maximum of 67 seconds, if he had been watching the road.Mr Dallas described the damage to the Saxo as catastrophic, and said passers-by were unable to help any of the occupants.Mr Jex and his partner, as well as the two children, died instantly, while Macauley had to be cut free.The family, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, had been travelling to visit Mr Jex's relatives in Blackburn, Lancashire.Easton, of Hebburn Road, Stockton, admitted four counts of causing death by dangerous driving, was banned from the roads for seven years and ordered to take an extended driving test.His barrister, Tim Roberts, told the court: "He should not have got behind the wheel of his van that day. He should have had the maturity and good sense to walk away from work."It is accepted on his behalf that through drowsiness - which may have been a product either of the lack of sleep or the alcohol, or a combination of the two - he was dangerously inattentive."The defendant did not go out intending to drink and drive."Outside court, Sergeant Les Moorhouse, of North Yorkshire Police, said the case highlighted the dangers of the "work hard, play hard" lifestyle of young men.He said: "Some people put in long hours during the day and go out drinking in the evenings until the early hours, then wake up having had minimal sleep, still feeling the worse for wear, jump behind the wheel and start their working day all over again."Not only is there the serious issue of tiredness and lack of sleep that dramatically reduces concentration and ability to drive, but there is also the fact that alcohol - and drugs - do remain in people's systems from the night before. Macauley is still coming to terms with the loss of his close family. It has had a devastating impact on all the immediate family and friends, but they are today satisfied that justice has been done."  more...

Trip that turned to tragedy

WHEN Paula Gilbert, Neil Jex and   more...

Family plans early Christmas for Sue

CHRISTMAS has come early for one   more...

Enthusiasts aid rail appeal

RAILWAY volunteers are helping   more...

Tributes paid to pair who died in bike crash

TRIBUTES have been paid to two   more...

Event marks life of photographer and his family

A SERIES of events is being held in memory   more...

Good causes can win vital help with prize

GOOD causes from across the region   more...

Tributes to war pals who didn’t return home

WAR veterans have recorded   more...

Plans for £2.75m health centre

PLANS have been unveiled for a new £2.75m health centre in the region.   more...

Plans to establish legion branch

PLANS to bring back a Royal British Legion branch are being backed by councillors and residents.   more...

Good report for nursery

A NORTH Yorkshire nursery is top of the class after winning approval from Government education officials.   more...

New community facilities at school

A SCHOOL has unveiled a series of new facilities that should benefit both its pupils and the wider community.   more...

New ambulances added to fleet

EIGHTEEN new ambulance service vehicles have taken to the roads of North Yorkshire.   more...