Dealer Stole OAP's Antiques In £800K Swindle

A heartless antiques dealer – who fleeced elderly victims of their treasured possessions in an £800,000 scam – has been jailed for six years.

Jamie Goatley, 34, (pictured) of Mayfield Crescent, Brighton targeted pensioners all over South-West England, even persuading one gent to release the equity in his house.

He pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to ten counts of theft and fraud involving eight victims in Sussex, Wiltshire, Dorset and Gloucestershire.

Goatley posed as a legitimate antique dealer, offering to sell items on behalf of the victims, but either paid them nothing or a fraction of the price he received.

Officers from Westminster Economic and Complex Crime Unit began investigating Goatley from 2009 and he was arrested a total of four times, continuing to rip-off victims while on bail for similar offences.

Police also began a detailed financial investigation and froze many of the defendant’s assets.

Detective Sergeant Shaun Reardon said: “Goatley targeted some very vulnerable victims and had no qualms about using their treasured possessions to make large sums of money for himself.

“I hope this result gives his victims some comfort and they feel reassured that a custodial sentence of this nature means he will not be able to target anyone else in this way.”