Businessman-From-Hell Gets Another Six Months For C.V. Lies

A notorious bankrupt rogue trader was jailed for an additional six months yesterday for lying on his c.v. to secure a sales job he was subsequently sacked from.

Royston Rees, 61, (pictured) of Glanmor Road, Llanelli was fired by mobility scooter firm Forever Active for "gross misconduct" and was sued for the return of a company van.

He pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to fraud on or before February 16, 2007 by dishonestly misrepresenting to the company he had been employed by Windmill Plastic Injection Mouldings (WPIM) of Sunbury-on-Thames between 1999 and 2004.

Rees, who was made bankrupt in 1986, 1992 and 1998, was brought from HMP Ford open prison where he is currently serving a thirty-month sentence for illegal trading, which he received in December, last year.

Prosecutor Mr. Edmund Burge told the court Rees landed the £15,000 a year sales job, plus bonuses, after a successful interview with the managing director on February 16, 2007.

"He deliberately lied on his c.v.," added the prosecutor, explaining Rees had only been with WPIM four months when remanded in custody on other offences.

Those nineteen charges, which included fraud, deception and illegal trading, landed the defendant with a five-year jail term at Cardiff Crown court in January 2001.

Rees was fired by forever active after six months. "He was dismissed for gross misconduct following complaints by customers concerning his dealings with second-hand mobility scooters," said Mr. Burge.

"He also retained the company van for four months and they had to take legal action to secure its return."

As well as £7,500 in wages the company lost up to £5,000 in compensation they had to pay disgruntled customers and the van's hire fees.

"This offence, to which you have had the good sense and decency to plead guilty to is so serious only an immediate custodial sentence is justified," Judge tim Stow told Rees.

"This was a totally separate offence, involving you deliberately deceiving your employers by stating that you had been employed, when in fact you had been dismissed by WPIM after four months.

"Forever Active would not have dreamt of employing you had you told them what the true position was.

"You have a bed criminal record and you worked all this out in advance, exactly what the deception would be.

"You were dismissed for gross misconduct for an allegation of theft of a mobility scooter, which you apparently took."

The six month sentence is consecutive to the thirty months Rees is already serving.

On Monday he is being allowed to travel alone from HMP Ford to an open prison in Wales to complete the sentence nearer home.

Rees also has nine-and-a-half years of a ten-year company director disqualification to run.

"Gold Dust" Cocaine Courier Caged

A cocaine smuggler, who had £423,000 worth of the drug stashed in a side panels of his cases as he stepped off a plane at London City Airport, was jailed for four-and-a-half years today.

Malcolm Sayers, 49, (pictured) of Bute Street, Cardiff initially claimed he thought he was smuggling gold dust, but this was dismissed as "hogwash" by a judge.

He pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to importing almost 3.5 kilos of cocaine on January 30.

Prosecutor Mr. Julius Capon told the court Sayers was stopped after flying in from Paris, which was the final leg of a journey, which began in Dakar, Senegal.

"The drug were found in the side panel of his suitcase and briefcase," explained Mr. Capon. "The defendant claims he believed he was smuggling gold dust and the prosecution say that proposition is ridiculous."

Judge Jeremy Gold QC agreed, announcing: "It sounds like hogwash."

Sayers' lawyer told the court his client has a girlfriend in Dakar, but did not have enough money to fly home.

"He did not have the funds to return to the U.K. to his eighty-three year-old mother who lives alone. Initially he was told it was gold dust and did not ask any questions.

"He does accept there was something suspicious about these cases."

Ex-heroin addict Sayers was also suffering withdrawal symptoms after running out of his methadone prescription in Dakar and was anxious to return home for more medication.

"He has a history of drug abuse in his earlier years," added the lawyer, revealing Sayers has been on heroin-substitute methadone for ten to fifteen years."

The defendant was also ordered to pay £300 prosecution costs and £240 cash seized from him at City Airport was forfeited.

Cocaine Bulk Brothers Jailed For Supplying Chemicals

Two brothers, who supplied over one tonne of cocaine cutting agents to large-scale dealers who sold up to £90m worth of the drug, have been jailed.

Saleh Ahmed, 29, (pic.top) and Siddique Ahmed, 23, (pic.bottom) both of Herbert House, Old Castle Street, Whitechapel supplied the chemicals via a company they created.

Saleh received five years-and-seven months and Siddique three years at Snaresbrook Crown Court for committing an act capable of assisting the commission of an indictable offence, namely drug supply.

Whilst cash seized from the Ahmeds was found to be heavily contaminated with cocaine, no actual controlled drugs were seized. 



The jury heard that the brothers formed a company, Simply Benzo Limited, that sold benzocaine (an anaesthetic), phenacetin (a painkiller) and procaine (an anaesthetic), as well as other chemicals via the Internet.

Saleh also sold cutting agents from his car. 



Following information provided by the Serious Organised Crime Agency Project Kitley, the Met
investigation, named Operation Amo, took action on March 29, last year.

On that date officers from the London Regional Asset Recovery Team (LRART), part of the Specialist and Economic Crime Command, supported by units from the Territorial Support Group, executed a series of search warrants.

At the Ahmeds’ home 38kg of cutting agent were found plus a further 213kg of cutting agent at a rented storage facility.

A 1kg-measuring jug and a large quantity of self-seal bags were also recovered.

The chemicals, in powder form, were imported by the Ahmeds from China.

Saleh had earlier admitted that he had possibly sold cutting agent to drug dealers, but insisted that he supplied the bulk of it for legitimate medical uses in the UK and overseas. 



Extensive enquiries with the pharmaceutical and medical supply industries showed that there was no legitimate commercial use for the chemicals in the form the Ahmeds sold them in.



Analysis of sales made, often using PayPal to receive payment from Internet sales, showed that the cutting agents were supplied to customers across the UK and as far away as the United States.

At least 900kg of cutting agent, in addition to that seized, had been sold by the Ahmeds before their arrests.



A confiscation investigation is now underway to recover the profits made by the Ahmeds.



The officer in the case, DC Steve Everson, of the Economic and Specialist Crime Command, said: “This conviction and sentence serves as a stark warning to those thinking of starting a trade in these types of products outside the pharmaceutical industry.

“In their raw form, they are destined for one purpose only, the illegal drugs trade.

“The London RART and its partner agencies will actively pursue those involved in this trade.”



DI Jeremy Tizard, Head of the London RART, said: “The overwhelming evidence showed that the brothers knew they were supplying cutting and bulking agents to be used in the supply of cocaine.

“Whilst the chemicals imported, in a prepared form, have some legitimate medical uses, pharmaceutical manufacturers were never going to buy 1kg bags of raw powder from an unlicensed dealer operating from a storage facility. 



“The sheer scale of the activity is staggering. They imported more than one tonne of cutting agents over a two year period which, mixed at a conservative ratio, assisted in the production of 1800kg of street level cocaine valued at least £90 million.

“Whilst neither brother was ever involved in the physical sale of cocaine, their ability to source and import cutting agents in these quantities contributed hugely to the drug trade in London and beyond.”



Top Lawyer Jailed For £1.2M Travel Expenses Scam

A top City lawyer, who masterminded a £1.2m travel expenses scam after spending a fortune on his Lebanese lover, has been jailed for three years.

Christopher Grierson, 60, (pictured) of Rodean Crescent, Putney pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to a £1,274,414 travel expenses fraud in relation to 57 bogus claims for international travel.

He admitted furnishing false information to Hogan Lovells Solicitors of 50 Holborn Viaduct between January 1 and December 31, 2008 in relation to 11 travel claims totalling £167,211.

He pleaded guilty to three similar counts regarding 25 claims relating to £526,887 between January 1 and December 31, 2009; 19 claims relating to £516,705 between January 1 and December 31, 2010 and 2 claims relating to £63,611 between January 1 and May 12, last year.

Grierson was litigation partner instructed in collapse of Bank of Credit and Commerce International and runner-up in 2010's Lawyer of the Year competition.

Also acted for Sultan of Brunei's brother and advised the Financial Services Authority on the administration of Lehman Brothers.

He was sacked from his £830,000 a year position in May, last year and reported to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority.

Grierson repaid the money to the firm before his arrest in June.

The father-of-four gave his lover £280,000 cash and paid her rent at a New York apartment for eighteen months, totalling over £300,000.

Grierson's monthly outgoings totalled £40,000 and he began the bogus travel fraud to cover his losses.

Living The Champagne Lifestyle - The Croydon Way

An angry nightclub customer, who smashed a champagne bottle and used the shard to attack a man who had fallen into him, has dodged jailed with a suspended sentence.

Daniel Ewenighi, 25, of Waters Road, Catford fought outside the 'Shooshh' club, (pictured) Crown Hill, Croydon before returning with the improvised weapon, cutting the victim's ear as he lunged toward him.

He pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to wounding scaffolder and amateur boxer Glen Bowden on August 7, last year and was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to perform 300 hours community service.

Prosecutor Mr. Hamish Reid told the court the victim was in a smoking area outside the club at just before 2am and fell into the back of the defendant as he climbed the steep flight of stairs to re-enter.

Mr. Bowden told police later:"Even though I apologised he tried to grab hold of me and was up for a fight."

Bouncers split up and ejected the brawling pair, but Mr. Bowden explained how the confrontation escalated in the street.

"I heard shouting and saw him smash a large champagne bottle. He swung the broken bottle at me and as I got my arm up the bottle caught me on my left ear and by my neck."

The victim was rushed to Mayday A&E, where he receives six sutures to the wound.

Ewenighi was arrested on August 15 via driving licence details he had given entering the club.

Midnight Pedestrian Tragedy: Mini-Cab Driver Cleared

A mini-cab driver was cleared of blame by a jury on Friday in relation to the tragic death of a pedestrian - struck just after midnight at a notorious accident blackspot.

Syed-Ajamal Syedzadah, 29, (pictured) of Clarence Road, Croydon had just exited the Wellesley Road underpass when his vehicle hit Manchester man James Worthe as he crossed the duel carriageway.

The pedestrian - who had consumed up to a dozen pints of Guinness during a night out with a friend - suffered fractures to his ribs, spine, skull and face, causing brain trauma and a collapsed lung.

Syedzadah had pleaded not guilty at Croydon Crown Court to causing the death of Mr. Worthe on January 23, last year by driving without due care and attention and was found not guilty by the jury.

The court heard there had been a meeting in a private room between the defendant and Mr. Worthe's family within the building, which was hoped would go some way to healing the wounds of the tragedy.

Prosecutor Mr. Philip Rule told the court Syedzadah, who had been driving a mini-cab for over a year, was travelling to the Jury's Inn hotel at 12.30am to collect a fare.

Mr. Worthe, who was working in London, had been watching football with a friend in a pub half a mile away from the tragedy.

The pair were seen walking and singing in the street afterwards and Mr. Worthe, whose blood alcohol level was equivalent to three times the drink-drive limit, decided to cross the road alone.

"He crossed the road where he should not have been," explained Mr. Rule. "It was the head of Mr. Worthe that struck the windscreen and his body struck the bonnet and the roof."

A police accident investigator estimated Syedzadeh's speed at the time of impact as between 40mph-50mph.

When quizzed the defendant told police he tried to brake to avoid the collision on the road, which has a 30mph limit.

Rapist Who Tried To Dodge Justice Is Jailed

Justice finally caught up with a rapist, who went on the run after attacking a 25 year-old woman, when he was caged for seven years on Friday.

Laurence Chris Chinagu, 37, of Albert Square, Stratford was convicted by a Wood Green Crown Court jury and was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Chinagu (pictured) was found guilty of raping the woman at an address in Great Amwell Lane, New River Village, Hornsey at 10.30pm on December 1, 2009.

He was arrested, questioned and bailed, but failed to return to his police station appointment in June 2010 and there was a publicity campaign to trace him a year later.

On-The-Run Paedo Caught And Caged

A paedophile, who jumped bail after police caught him with over one thousand sick pornographic videos and images of children, was jailed for eight months yesterday.

Sean King, 43, of Chancellor Gardens, South Croydon must also sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.

He pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court (pictured) to seven sample counts of possessing level one to four indecent images of children at his home address on or before September 6, last year.

Police investigating the Limewire online file-sharing service identified King as a potential suspect and officers visited his home at 2.15pm.

The defendant answered his front door and after claiming he left his laptop at work it was found stashed in a living-room wardrobe.

"This what you are looking for," King told the officers, adding: "I'm stupid sometimes. You might find a couple."

Police identified a total of 1,054 indecent images of children involved in various sexual acts.

King was quizzed and bailed, but failed to return for his police station appointment and was circulated as wanted.

He was arrested on May 3 and charged the next day.

Judge Daniel Flahive told him: "You had over one thousand images in your possession, which included sexual activity between adults and children."

Scumbag Sentenced For Double OAP Scam

A "mean and callous" serial rogue trader, who targeted elderly and vulnerable victims in a gardening and roofing scam, was jailed for fifteen months today.

Irish traveller Harry Smith, 22, of Bloxham Road, Milton, Oxfordshire conned £4,000 out of a Kent couple in their eighties who suffered with dementia and plotted to extract £800 from an 85 year-old Croydon pensioner.

"It is such a mean offence, it is callous," said the Recorder of Croydon Judge Warwick Mckinnon. "It is pre-meditated, planned and he has done it before."

Smith pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation between July 30 and August 2, 2010 in relation to James and Jean McBride - aged 86 and 83 - of Sevenoaks.

He also pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud Charles Hammond, 85, of Park Road, Kenley and fraudulently failing to to disclose information to the victim, namely his cancellation rights on April 11, last year.

Prosecutor Miss Francesca Levett told the court the Kent couple were approached by the defendant to carry out gardening work at their home of thirty years and convinced them to write him a £4,000 cheque.

"They are vulnerable and elderly people and no work was ever carried out."

Police were only called after the couple's son, Chris, spotted the payment and it was traced to an account in the name of J Smith, which the defendant had opened.

Illness has since forced Jean into a care home and James is visited by a carer twice a day.

When arrested Smith denied the scam, but records of a police stop in Goathurst Common, Ide Hill placed him in the vicinity.

To save the victims giving evidence Smith was given a chance to refund the £4,000 in return for the charge being dropped, but he simply vanished and was circulated as wanted.

He later claimed a fundraising attempt at a Christian Travellers Convention failed to raise the necessary compensation.

Smith and an accomplice cold-called Mr. Hammond, with the defendant claiming he was the son of the roofer who worked on the victim's garage two years earlier and wanted to check its condition.

"Mr. Smith said he felt the roof would not survive the summer," said Miss Levett. "In reality the felt was in good condition and no work was required."

After initially trying to scam Mr. Hammond - who has since passed away - out of £2,250 for the £30 job an £800 fee was agreed.

Smith's accomplice - who was jailed for eight months - then used a broom to spread cheap bitumen over the roof.

When Smith demanded payment and the victim had no money in the house the accomplice drove the pensioner to the bank while the defendant remained alone in the property.

The money was not available and the two conmen agreed to return the next day, but Mr. Hammond was now suspicious and police were waiting when they arrived.

Officers seized their unregistered VW Passat van, which will now be confiscated.

In 2008 Smith received a suspended youth custody sentence in Somerset for a similar scam when he charged a lady £4,000 for covering her drive with £35 worth of tarmac.

Judge McKinnon told a tearful Smith, who will now miss the birth of his wife's twins: "These offences are similar and you have a previous conviction.

"They are mean and nasty because they prey on the age and vulnerability of elderly victims who do not have the same shield as young, healthy people.

"There was an obvious degree of planning, pre-meditation and deception by saying you were the son of the roofer. A deliberate lie."

Smith repaid the £4,000 the day before he was sentenced, but no order for costs was made against him despite Croydon Council alone spending over £20,000 to investigate and prosecute the case.

Over a dozen travellers were in court for the sentencing.

G.P. Gets Two Years For Groping Patients

A respected GP, who molested eight female patients aged eight to forty, for his "own sexual gratification" was jailed for two years today.

Despite repeated complaints about Dr. Markandu Ragupathy, 62, (pic.top) at the South London surgery he continued to abuse patients for almost a decade.

Dr. Ragupathy, a senior practise partner and also the surgery's child protection leader, convinced fellow doctors and staff the multiple complaints were the result of a "misunderstanding" or "miscommunication."

"The victims were eight of your female patients and occurred over a period of ten years while you were a general practitioner," Woolwich Crown Court Judge Andrew Lees told the doctor.

"Those eight patients trusted you as their doctor to carry out proper examinations and you abused that trust by touching them in sexual ways.

"They were vulnerable and thought you were carrying out necessary examinations. You touched them to satisfy your own sexual gratification.

"This is clearly a case of a serious abuse of trust by you in relation to your patients," added the judge. "This was a course of conduct that took place over ten years and continued after you knew complaints were being made."

The doctor, a married man with children, continued to be supported by his relatives in court.

"I know you are a family man," Judge Lees told the first-time offender. "I know there will be hardship in prison."

Dr. Ragupathy will sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and a Sexual Offences Prevention Order was made, prohibiting him being employed in a medical capacity or any capacity which brings him into contact with children under sixteen years-old.

"This is for the protection of the public from serious harm," said Judge Lees.

He denied the charges, forcing his many victims to give evidence, and prosecutor Mr. Toby Fitzgerald told the jury he: "Used his position of trust to satisfy his own sexual gratification and curiosity."

From the mid-90's until 2007 the GP, of Den Close, Beckenham, was employed at the Torridon Road Medical Practice in Catford, (pic.bottom) where seven of the complainants were sexually assaulted.

"The defendant remained free at the practise to sexually assault other patients and believed the practise would accept any explanation and for some years he was correct in thinking this," added Mr. Fitzgerald.

Dr. Ragupathy was convicted of seven indecent assaults, one attempted indecent assault and one sexual assault. He was found not guilty on nine similar counts.

Patient B, 16, saw Dr. Ragupathy with breathlessness. "He put the stethoscope on her left breast and massaged the breast with the stethoscope. She felt disturbed by how the defendant behaved."

Patient C, 20, saw the GP for a suspected tonsillitis. "During the appointment he lifted her jumper and bra, exposing her left breast and lifted it with his hand and repeated with the right breast and said: 'Your chest if fine'."

Patient D, 8, had a chest infection when she attended an appointment with her mother.

"The defendant touched her inner thighs and between her legs and there was no good reason for this. He simply took his chance to touch her this way."

Patient E, 15, saw the GP while pregnant and with flu symptoms. "The defendant locked the door and began to feel all over her breasts."

Patient F, 30, was wheezing when she saw the doctor. "He placed the stethoscope on her right breast and asked if she was in a relationship."

Patient G, 30, had a thigh rash. "The defendant pulled her knickers to one side. He just took the chance, which he saw as a sexual opportunity."

She returned with bruising inflicted by her boyfriend. "The defendant put his hands inside the waistband of her jeans and pulled them towards him and asked: 'What colour knickers have you got on?"

Patient H, 36, was three months pregnant when she saw Dr. Ragupathy for the first time.

"He announced he needed to check her breasts while holding out his cupped hands. He said he needed to check if she was able to breast feed,"

Patient I, 40, had a rash and was visited at home by the defendant, who was also employed by an out-of-hours service.

"The defendant asked her to sit on his lap so he could listen to her chest and later made a comment about making a woman of her.

"He then went to his car for some medical cream and rubbed it into her chest."

Judge Lees sentenced Dr. Ragupathy to two years' imprisonment for the offence relating to the eight year-old and on all the other charges he received twelve months to run concurrent.

"He has retired from medical practice and he will not be going back," said Mr. Alan Jenkins, defending.

"Others will ensure that does not happen. He does not pose a risk to anyone apart from patients."

Dr. Ragupathy is currently suspended by the General Medical Council and misconduct proceedings will follow.

The New Killing Fields: Student Murdered In Conker Confrontation

A teenager has been convicted of murdering a young architecture student – whose parents swapped their Colombian homeland for the killing fields of North London.

Steven Grisales, 21, (pictured) was stabbed through the heart after confronting a group of youths who were throwing conkers at him.

The fifteen year-old Edmonton schoolboy, who is too young to be identified, was found guilty by an Old Bailey jury of the murder in nearby College Close on August 31, last year.

He will be sentenced on June 13.

Steven was walking to Silver Street train station after dropping off shopping to his grandmother when he was stabbed.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Richard Beadle of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command (HSCC) said:
”Steven did no more than stand up to an unruly youth and for that he has lost his life.

“But for the courageous intervention of a local resident I am convinced the knife attack would have continued.

“The man placed himself in front of Steven while the youth was repeatedly attempting to stab Steven again.



“The defendant has shown no remorse and has continually lied about his involvement.

“Fortunately the jury saw through this dishonest charade. His arrogance and contempt for others belies his age. 



“I am extremely grateful to those witnesses who came forward - without them we would not have achieved a successful prosecution.

“Sadly there were others, known to the defendant, who held vital information and refused to help the inquiry.

“In fact they did all they could to deter the investigation and ultimately justice. 



“I hope this conviction will bring some sense of justice to Steven’s family who have been devastated by his murder.

“He truly was a nice honest young man with a bright future. 



“A moment of madness by an armed individual resulted in the most tragic of circumstances. Steven Grisales should be alive today.”



Steven’s mother, Jasmid Grisales said: “We just want to take this opportunity to thank the prosecution, they did a really great job, the police for all the hard work in putting all the evidence together, a very big thank you to the witnesses, without them, we could not get this excellent result.



“Also a really big thank you to victim support from the start of our nightmare, they have been supporting us in every single way and they really are making our lives easier, they done so much to help us get through this terrible experience, we can see and feel the big difference that they make in our lives.



“It is true to say that this verdict does not change our lives in anyway because we lost Steven for ever and he is not coming back to us. We have to carry this cross for the rest of our lives. 



“Steven was always loved by absolutely every person who had the privilege of knowing him and calling him a friend, cousin, nephew, grandson, son or brother.

“He always gave without expecting anything in return and he always tried for everyone around him to be happy. 



“This result can show that in a way it is justice and people should start learning that for every wrong you do, sooner or later you have to pay the price.”



Police were called shortly after 7.00pm following reports of an injured man.



On arrival officers learnt the defendant, in the company of other youths and not known to Steven, had began to throw conkers at him.

Steven initially remonstrated with the youths, but the defendant produced a knife and stabbed him.



The defendant ran from the scene, but only after a local resident intervened to stop a further attack.

Sadly this was not enough to save Steven, who was taken to the Royal London Hospital where he died the next day.

A post-mortem gave cause of death as a single stab wound to the heart.



Cab Driver Accused Of Midnight Death Tragedy

A mini-cab driver was speeding at up to 50 mph when his car struck a drunken pedestrian - crossing a notorious accident blackspot after downing up to a dozen pints of Guinness - a jury were told yesterday.

Syed-Ajamal Syedzadah, 29, (pictured) of Clarence Road, Croydon had just exited the Wellesley Road underpass after midnight when his vehicle hit Manchester man James Worthe.

The pedestrian tragically suffered fractures to his ribs, spine, skull and face, causing brain trauma and a collapsed lung.

Syedzadah has pleaded not guilty at Croydon Crown Court to causing the death of Mr. Worthe on January 23, last year by driving without due care and attention.

Prosecutor Mr. Philip Rule told the court Syedzadah, who had been driving a mini-cab for over a year, was travelling to the Jury's Inn hotel at 12.30am to collect a fare.

Mr. Worthe, who was working in London, had been watching football with a friend in a pub half a mile away from the tragedy.

The pair were seen walking and singing in the street afterwards and Mr. Worthe, whose blood alcohol level was equivalent to three times the drink-drive limit, decided to cross the road alone.

"He crossed the road where he should not have been," explained Mr. Rule. "It was the head of Mr. Worthe that struck the windscreen and his body struck the bonnet and the roof."

A police accident investigator estimated Syedzadeh's speed at the time of impact as between 40mph-50mph.

When quizzed the defendant told police he tried to brake to avoid the collision on the road, which has a 30mph limit.

Trial continues………….