Family denies ‘dying father’ scam
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Mark Long and his wife, Andrea, from Park Mews, Retford, Notts, allegedly amassed more than £100,000 in deposits as his father, John, was dying. His mother, Mavis, from Rossington, South Yorks, made £42,000 cash, using her husband’s cards after his death. Mr Long, a Lincolnshire officer, and his family deny multiple fraud charges. Accounts emptied Collingwood Thompson QC, prosecuting, told Derby Crown Court John Long was diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable form of cancer in June 1998. He ran up £146,000 of credit card debts before his death in April 2001. The former car dealer, who had been out of work since 1990, opened 33 bank accounts and credit cards with 16 different financial institutions and withdrew large amounts of cash as well as going on cruise holidays with his wife before his death. As his condition worsened, his family began to empty his credit card accounts while he was in hospital and even after his death, Mr Thompson alleged. Benefit deception A total of £107,000 was placed into an account held by Andrea Long in her maiden name of Rigg. Both Mark, 38, a Lincolnshire police officer and Andrea Long, 34, told police they did not know where the money had come from and Mr Long said he believed it could have been from his father’s gambling wins, the court heard. They each deny assisting in the retention of the proceeds of criminal conduct, acquisition of the proceeds of criminal conduct and two counts of conspiracy to defraud. Mavis Long, 60, of Hollin Close, Rossington, denies assisting in the retention of the proceeds of criminal conduct, two counts of conspiracy to defraud, making a false representation to obtain a benefit and deception. Source : news.bbc.co.uk |