London man jailed for scamming North Yorkshire couple out of life savings

A man who scammed an elderly couple out of nearly half-a-million pounds by convincing them to buy gold bullion has been jailed.

Ashley Marlon Thompson, 26, of Margery Street in London, contacted the couple, who live in North Yorkshire, pretending to be a police officer and telling them their bank account had been compromised

He told them to purchase gold bullion, which would then be collected by police couriers for safe keeping.

The couple eventually reported what had happened to North Yorkshire Police in summer last year. Officers found they had spent over £450,000 in gold bullion – their entire life savings.

The Economic Crime Unit put gold dealers on notice to look out for suspicious sales.

Thompson was arrested after he tried to sell one of the gold bullion bars in a London pawnbroker in November.

He claimed he had found the gold bar in a lock-up storage facility but had no idea who owned it.

But investigators found Thompson had created fake documents to prove the lock-up existed.

He was charged with money laundering and fraud by false representation.

Det Con Neil Brodhurst said: "Throughout the trial Thompson denied any knowledge of the gold bar’s origin, sticking to his story that he had simply found it in a bag of tools.

"He also couldn’t explain why he’d gone to the lengths of faking a hire contract for a non-existent lock-up facility to show the pawnbroker.

"The two victims of this courier fraud were absolutely devastated by it. They were groomed over a period of several months with their trust and good nature callously exploited to the extent that they lost their entire life savings to someone claiming to be a police officer."

He issued a warning to other potential victims, saying: "The fraudsters use incredibly calculated and manipulative tactics to convince their victims that they are legitimate police officers or bank officials and will keep going until they get what they want."

Thompson pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation and was found guilty of money laundering.

He was jailed for 21 months.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know