Transgender Brighton pensioner jailed for five years for fraud

A transgender fraudster from Brighton has been jailed over timeshare and boiler room scams which netted more than £500,000.

Frances Harris, 74, of Dudeney Lodge in Hollingdean, was given a five-year jail term at Lewes Crown Court today (Wednesday 9 October).

The serial crook, formerly known as Frederick, was found guilty by a jury yesterday (Tuesday 8 October) after a two-and-a-half week trial.

Harris was sentenced for four counts of fraud, two money laundering charges and falsely claiming £27,000 in benefits using a passport in the name of his dead sister.

Fellow fraudsters Graham Lewis, 50, of Firlands, Haywards Heath, and his wife Rosemary Nye, 52, of Butlers Green Road, Haywards Heath, were both also sentenced.

Frances Harris

Lewis was jailed for four and a half years for one charge of fraud and eight counts of money laundering.

Nye was given two years in prison suspended for two years for one charge of fraud and five counts of money laundering.

The three used a company called Global Management Investments to carry out their boiler room scam which involved conning victims into buying non-existent shares in 2009 and 2010.

They set up another company called Rest Assured Property Services to sell non-existent timeshare apartments in 2010 and 2011.

Detective Constable Julie Beckwith, of the Sussex Police Major Fraud Unit, said: “These offences began to come to our notice in 2010 when people from across the country started to contact their local police and say they had been defrauded.

“Forces realised that Sussex was the centre of the operation and we started inquiries.

“The defendants were operating from their addresses and at one point, during the 2010-11 operation, they were also using a rented office space in Crawley, essentially for receipt of mail.

“We do admire the five victims, one of whom was from Sussex, who were called by the prosecution and gave compelling evidence at the trial which helped show the jury the evil way in which they were defrauded.

“This case is a salutary reminder to everyone, especially the more elderly in our communities, not to be taken in by cold callers on the phone.

“Do not ever agree to anything there and then. Check it out, using legal advice, family and friends to help.

“If you are at all suspicious or worried, tell the police – preferably via the Action Fraud helpline on 0300 123 2040 but you can also call your local police at any time too.”