Adam Morris the conman, who was said to have "a taste for attractive young women and discarding one in favour of another" got his comeuppance when one of the women he dumped handed evidence of his criminal lifestyle to police.Morris initially fled to Monaco but was arrested after a police car chase when he returned to England in "an act of bravado," Stafford Crown Court was told.The 30-year-old and his gang were convicted of conspiracies to various swindles, including fraudulent mortgages and false loan applications.Morris, lived a luxury house at Alrewas, which he told acquaintances he owned but in fact only rented. He drove a yellow Ferrari and pretended to be a big wheel in the film and media business.However, none of the swindles could have been committed by one person acting alone, prosecutor Malcolm Morse told Stafford Crown Court.He said Morris had loyal lieutenants in Kenneth Wallbank, John Sharpe and Matthew McKenzie.Judge Mark Eades told them: "These were serious frauds involving a total of £1.5 million. They revolved around you, Morris. I am satisfied you are a determined and skilled fraudster."Morris, formerly of Packwood House, Alrewas, was jailed for three years and nine months after admitting conspiracy.Wallbank, 54, of Argyle Street, Tamworth, was convicted along with Jo-Anna Hall, 29, of Blythe Street, Tamworth and Sharpe, 32, from Birmingham, of conspiracy to get credit for cars through false loan applications.Sharpe and Wallbank were convicted of conspiracy to defraud Kensington Mortgages Direct and Wallbank of conspiracy to defraud HBOS Bank.Matthew McKenzie, 37, from Stratford upon Avon, and Sharpe were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the HSBC Bank.Wallbank, who failed to attend court for sentencing, was given four years, Sharpe got 30 months and McKenzie, who also failed to answer bail, two years. Warrants were issued for the arrest of Wallbank and McKenzie.Hall, a customer service advisor at the Mercedes dealership in Mile Oak, Tamworth, was given 12 months suspended for two years with 150 hours' unpaid community work. Judge Eades told her: "Your involvement falls in to a different category, there was some financial gain, although it was not very great. You fell in line in order to keep customers happy. I have no reason to think you will offend again."
During a five-week trial, jurors heard the fraudsters got away with £1.5 million by taking banks, car credit firms and a mortgage company "for a ride". The haul included six Mercedes, two Bentleys and two Porsches.The value of the cars was £900,000, the mortgage frauds totalled £500,000 and HSBC was cheated out of £180,000, all over 12 months. The money has "dribbled away in the sand."The frauds were discovered after Morris's estranged partner, Victoria O'Docherty, handed his computer memory stick to the police. It contained digitised utility bills, credit references and other documents in various identities, among them a 'QC', a 'plastic surgeon', a 'medical researcher' and a 'TV executive', all supposedly earning high salaries."Morris developed a taste for attractive young women and developed a taste for discarding one in favour of another in circumstances of no good will. One of them was Victoria O'Docherty," said Mr Morse.Morris lived in an expensive detached house in Alrewas, claiming to own it, but only renting it. He left owing the rent.He made out he was well-to-do, in the film and media business, with connections in Monaco. The last part was true and for a while he remained out of the police's clutches.But in an act of "bravado" he visited the UK in March last year and in Manchester drove the wrong way down a one-way street. That led to a police chase and his ultimate arrest. He had with him two phoney driving licences.
