{"id":83376,"date":"2023-12-20T10:52:44","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T10:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/?p=83376"},"modified":"2023-12-20T10:52:44","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T10:52:44","slug":"champagne-loving-conman-faces-jail-after-275k-pensioners-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/world-news\/champagne-loving-conman-faces-jail-after-275k-pensioners-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Champagne-loving conman faces jail after \u00a3275K pensioners scam"},"content":{"rendered":"
A champagne-loving conman who claimed he was buying a \u00a32million property from TV’s Grand Designs is facing jail after being found guilty of swindling vulnerable pensioners.<\/p>\n
Layne Perry, 39, pretended to be a millionaire playboy who flew helicopters, rode with the local hunt and was a high roller at casinos.<\/p>\n
But all the time Perry was living in a rented seaside caravan and relying on handouts from his mother.<\/p>\n
Ex-solder Perry ‘flashed the cash’ to impress an elderly widow and a married couple who shared his love of the countryside and horses.<\/p>\n
He took one of his victims to view Kemeys Folly in South Wales which appeared on Channel 4’s Grand Designs in 2009 and is currently on the market for \u00a31.85m.<\/p>\n
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Layne Perry, who faces 25 counts of fraud and theft, makes his way to Cardiff Crown Court<\/p>\n
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This was the Grand Designs property, on sale for \u00a31.85m, that Perry claimed he was buying<\/p>\n
Perry told the widow he was buying stables where she could have a rent-free lodge to live the rest of her life in the Gloucestershire countryside.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor Emma Harris told a jury: ‘Layne Perry is a fraudster, someone who sets out to dupe and cheat people whom he first befriends.<\/p>\n
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‘He gained their trust by portraying an air of success and affluence, suggesting to them that he lives a life of luxury and excess which would mean their money would be safe with him.’<\/p>\n
During his six-week fraud trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Perry told the prosecuting barrister: ‘I earn more money than you do.’<\/p>\n
Perry claims to have worked for merchant bankers Close Brothers and payment processing company Global Payments UK. He told the court he makes \u00a380,000-a-year as a professional gambler.<\/p>\n
But the jury heard his main source of income was a \u00a32,000-a-month allowance from his elderly mother.<\/p>\n
The proceedings were briefly halted after Perry was caught removing official court lists pinned to notice boards inside the building. He told the judge he wanted them as an ‘aide-memoire’ for the book he is writing.<\/p>\n
Perry, of South Kensington, London, was found guilty of 23 charges of fraud involving \u00a3275,000 of his victims’ money and loans taken out in their names.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor Ms Harris told how Perry befriended Charles Gwilliam and his wife Val at livery stables in Bridgend, South Wales, where they kept three horses.<\/p>\n
She said: ‘Perry took out loans in their name and applied for credit cards in their name. He portrayed himself as the Gwilliams to make a gain of approximately \u00a376,000 across the various financial institutions.<\/p>\n
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Ex-solder Perry ‘flashed the cash’ to impress an elderly widow and a married couple<\/p>\n
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\u00a0He took one of his victims to view this stunning Kemeys Folly mansion in South Wales\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The property appeared on Channel 4 ‘s Grand Designs in 2009 and is on sale for over \u00a31.5m<\/p>\n
‘Perry told the couple he was going to buy a house called Kemeys Folly near Newport and took Mr Gwilliam to visit the property.<\/p>\n
‘Perry asked Mr Gwilliam to give up his job and go to live at the property with his wife and Mr Perry’s partner Serena.’<\/p>\n
Mr Gwilliam, 67, said he thought of Perry as a best friend and that Perry had described him and his wife as ‘like a second mum and dad.’<\/p>\n
But he said he was ‘frightened’ after discovering unauthorised loans and financial agreements in his name for more than \u00a3130,000 taken out by Perry without his knowledge.<\/p>\n
Delivery driver Mr Gwilliam told the jury: ‘I told him I knew what was going on and I was contacting the banks and the police.<\/p>\n
‘He told me if it went to court his barrister would put Val in hospital or in the ground. I’ve never spoken to him since.’<\/p>\n
Perry also befriended recently widowed Sharan(CORR) Jones, 69, from Aberdare, South Wales, and set out to exploit her vulnerability.<\/p>\n
Miss Harris said: ‘He would visit her, take her out for meals, he would give her lifts to her caravan in Porthcawl. He would tell Mrs Jones he was wealthy and successful.<\/p>\n
‘In early 2019, he gained control of Mrs Jones’ finances. He knew that she trusted him and he abused that trust, using it to facilitate his fraudulent activities.<\/p>\n
‘He took control of her bank cards and her means of identification, including her driving licence and passport.’<\/p>\n
Retired hotelier and hairdressing salon owner Mrs Jones met Perry at a Christmas party in 2018. She told the court: ‘He said he was wealthy, he took me horse racing. He lived the horse life and he loved champagne.<\/p>\n
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The house boasts a large open-plan living room that includes an abundance of lighting<\/p>\n
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The folly, which dates back to the 1700s, has a mix of contemporary features to offer contrast<\/p>\n
‘I was going to have a new life. In my mind’s eye it was like something off the telly. I embraced it. I thought I’d have company for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n
‘He cared so much for me, I trusted him implicitly, like a member of my family.<\/p>\n
‘He would take my letters unopened, I just gave them to him. I didn’t know how to use internet banking – Layne said he would set it up.<\/p>\n
‘He told me: ‘You don’t have to do nothing, just look after yourself.’<\/p>\n
Perry siphoned \u00a398,000 from Mrs Jones’s accounts and set up multiple credit cards and loans in her name. In all, he took \u00a3145,000 from her.<\/p>\n
The conman was caught when police pulled over his top-of-the range black 5-series BMW in Leicestershire and found Mrs Jones passport and financial documents relating to the various frauds all committed in 2019.<\/p>\n
Remanding him in custody until Friday when he will be sentenced, Judge Paul Hobson told Perry he had been exposed as a ‘deceitful and dishonest man’.<\/p>\n
Det Cons Ian Pring and Neville Evans, who led the investigation, praised the bravery of Mrs Jones and the Gwilliams in coming forward to give evidence.<\/p>\n
South Wales Police believe other victims may now come forward.<\/p>\n
DC Pring said after the case: ‘In my mind he’s a conman, he’s a fantasist. He perceives himself to be a wealthy businessman, claims to be a millionaire, a helicopter pilot and of course it’s all just a lie. His whole life is built on lies.’<\/p>\n