Not Guilty: Former Scout Leader And Ex Cleared Of Under-Age Sex Charges

Cleared: Mark Innes

A scout leader, accused of raping his under-age ex-girlfriend - who had already aborted their child - has walked free along with a woman alleged to have assisted him when a Crown Court judge threw out the case.

Mark Innes, 43, of Park Wood Crescent, Beeston, Leeds and registered child-minder Sharon Stow, 40, of East Drive, Orpington, Kent denied the charges at Croydon Crown Court.

At the conclusion of the prosecution case the jury were directed to bring back not guilty verdicts on all counts in relation to both defendants.

At the start of the trial prosecutor Mr. Jonathan Loades told the jury the girl was fourteen years-old and walking near Innes' flat in Orpington High Street in the early 1990's, having dated him since she was either eleven or twelve years-old.

"By now Mr. Innes had a new girlfriend, Miss Stow, and the complainant was aware she was being followed.

"She was forced into an alleyway by Miss Stow and Mr. Innes was there and they grabbed her and forced her into his flat and the bedroom, where she was subjected to further abuse at his hands.

"She was raped with the assistance of Miss Stow."

The court heard the girl attended Orpington's First Ramsden Scout Group, where Innes initially helped out before becoming a scout leader.

"At the group's Christmas party in nineteen ninety-one the girl and Mr. Innes began to develop a relationship despite her youth, she was eleven or twelve years-old at the time and he was eighteen or nineteen.

"Mr. Innes gave her the keys to his flat, but the beginnings of sexual contact occurred in the scout hut and the complainant enjoyed the contact and enjoyed the fact she was being kissed and touched.

"She was scared of losing him, of the relationship coming to and end."

The jury were told Innes asked the girl's mother if he could date the youngster when she was aged thirteen and she was at that age when she became pregnant.

"Mr. Innes arranged for her to have an abortion and afterwards at his flat Mr. Innes forced her to have sex.

"She was in pain and said no, she was crying, she was scared, but despite her resistance he forced her legs apart and raped her," added Mr. Loades.

Innes pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape; one count of unlawful sexual intercourse and another serious sexual offence.

He also denies four counts of indecent assault.

Stow pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting rape and aiding and abetting the serious sexual offence.

All the charges relate to the period between January 22, 1990 and January 22, 1994.

Tortured Iranian Smuggled Pain-Killing Opium Through Heathrow

A Leicester man, caught stepping off a plane at Heathrow Airport with opium, which he claims is his DIY pain relief solution for back trouble, has received a suspended prison sentence.

Abdul Farhadpour, 45, of Rowanberry Avenue, Braunstone Frith pleaded guilty to importing 70.4 gms of the drug in Terminal Three on May 25 and received six months imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months.

Isleworth Crown Court heard he suffered the injury when tortured in his native Iran.

“He suffers pain when working and supports his wife and child, who live in Iran,” Farhadpour's lawyer Mr. Zaki Hashmi said.

Recorder Michael Evans QC told the defendant: “You were travelling through Terminal Three and were stopped. After initially not telling the truth about the drugs found on you, you admitted they were for your own use.

“This court cannot allow people to import Class A drugs through an airport in this way. You knew the risks.

“I have no doubt this is the first and last time you will appear in a criminal court. You have shown considerable remorse.”

Farhadpour was also ordered to perform 100 hours community service work and pay an £80 victim surcharge.

Cleaner Snatched Dying Socialite Boss's £23K Designer Ring

Jailed: Marzanna Szysz

A cleaner, who exploited her wealthy socialite employer's terminal cancer to steal a £23,000 designer gold ring, which she sold at an auction years later, has been jailed for nine months.

Polish-born Marzanna Szysz, 42, was employed by the Harrison family at their £4.25m six-bedroom Chelsea townhouse, where she snatched the Elizabeth Gage-designed piece, selling it eight years later for £3,000.

Former actress, model and writer Bridget Harrison died aged sixty-seven on February 8, 2011 after a twelve-year fight against breast cancer and was well-known for her charitable work, particularly in relation to the NSPCC for whom she'd organise functions and balls.

She studied at the Sorbonne, Paris and London's Trinity College of Music, appeared in two films directed by Italian Federico Fellini and was employed by the Aga Khan to establish and run an exclusive yacht club in Sardinia.

She married wealthy Cumbria businessman Norman Harrison, 80, and had three daughters, spending most of her time at the family's Penrith estate and living at the London address, where Szysz was employed, approximately seven days every month.

Szysz, of Glebe Way, Hanworth, Feltham was convicted by an Isleworth Crown Court jury of stealing the ring at 39 Cadogan Street on June 13, 2005, dismissing her claims it was a gift from the late Mrs Harrison.

Harrison's Home

"It's undoubtedly a breach of trust, involving a high-value item, against a woman this defendant knew had cancer and the defendant took advantage of that situation," announced Judge Douglas Moore.

"I am not sympathetic at all, this was theft in breach of trust. It was a wealthy household and it would have been as plain as a pikestaff to the defendant that this was not a woman who wore cheap jewellery.

"It was demonstrably of a high value."

The court heard Mrs Harrison, who once acted alongside a young Clint Eastwood and in 2004 was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Cumbria, was a friend of award-winning designer Elizabeth Gage, who has an appointment-only boutique off Sloane Street.

Luxury: Dining & Living Room

As well as buying items of her designer jewellery Mrs Harrison, who modelled while living in Rome and wrote for Italian fashion magazines, would also be loaned pieces for events, with the Harrison family chauffeur collecting them.

He also collected jewellery Mrs Harrison had sent to the store for cleaning and it was after returning to the townhouse, which has been in the Harrison family for thirty years, after one such trip, the ring went missing.

Elizabeth Gage's Store

It was not seen again until bought by a savvy buyer at Chiswick Auctions on April 5, last year, who took it to Elizabeth Gage for authentication, prompting the police investigation.

Szysz's husband had placed it in the auction and when quizzed by officers the defendant claimed it was given to her as a gift from Mrs Harrison in 2009, but was too big for her.

She then decided to sell it to fund renovations to her home.

Disgraced Perv Doc Struck-Off For Child Porn Pics Caught Again

Beranek was jailed at Isleworth Crown Court

A disgraced doctor, struck off for having hundreds of sick child porn images, is starting a ten-month prison sentence after court-ordered software installed on his computer tipped-off police he had downloaded 1,088 more.

Michael David Beranek, 44, of Harmondsworth Road, West Drayton had worked as a psychiatrist with vulnerable people suffering mental health issues when he was caught the first time.

He received twenty weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Lewes Crown Court in 2012 after police found over 800 indecent images of children on his computer while has employed at The Langford Centre, Bexhill.

He was subject to a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which monitored his internet use, when police realised he was viewing child porn again and turned up on his doorstep at 6pm on January 21.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of making an indecent photograph of a child on or before January 21 and was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court.

Prosecutor Mr. Ravinder Johal said: "There were no problems initially and he was being managed as a low-risk offender. He had remote software on his computer that triggered illegal intent use."

When police arrived Beranek tried to claim he had restricted his internet viewing to fetish sites involving adults.

"He then admitted accessing indecent images of children after he received an email link from a third party."

The link Beranek clicked and downloaded advertised the fact it contained sexual images of girls aged 11, 12, and 13.

"He told police he stored the images in the hard drive and they arrested him."

Beranek exclaimed: "Oh no," when arrested, but added: "It's better you came tonight before it got more out of control."

Mr. Johal added: "He accepted he was trying to hide it from his girlfriend while she was away and had a lot of time on his hands in the evening."

After being caught the first time Beranek told his bosses it did not effect his work because his viewing took place: "in the privacy of his own home."

He claimed he should be allowed to continue working as a doctor because his professional abilities were not effected and that he had looked at sites that were free on the internet and had not paid to view.

The court made Beranek subject to a fresh five-year SOPO and he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

Bangkok Wedding Tripper Returned With Electric Stun Gun And CS Gas

A Bishop's Stortford man, who returned from a pal's wedding in Bangkok with an illegal stun gun and c.s. gas in his luggage and racially abused the customs man who stopped and searched him at Heathrow Airport, has received a suspended prison sentence.

James William Forbes, 28, a National Grid employee, of Waytemore Road swore at the UK Border Agency officer and said: “I see you let all the foreigners in and picked the English out.”

When told by officer Manzar Akhtar he would be subject to a body search after the weapons were found in his luggage Forbes added: “Do you want to look at my arse? That's what you muslims do.”

He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon, namely the stun gun disguised as a torch and the c.s. gas and one count of racially aggravated harassment at the airport's Terminal Five on February 11.

Prosecutor Mr. Ravinder Johal told Isleworth Crown Court it was 6.20pm when Forbes, who was travelling alone was stopped in the 'nothing to declare' green channel and his luggage checked.

When asked for the combination to his suitcase's lock by officer Akhtar the defendant replied: “F*** off. You heard you c***. Do what you f***ing want.”

The suitcase was cut open and the functioning electric stun gun found along with a 'NATO' c.s. gas can and a poster depicting a variety of handguns.

When quizzed by police Forbes expressed surprise about the weapons being found in his luggage, explaining the gun poster was for his bedroom wall and that he had consumed ten miniature bottles of wine on the long-haul flight.

His lawyer Miss Marion Mullen said: “This defendant comes from a very, very respectable family. He is very, very remorseful indeed.

“He was out with friends for a wedding in Thailand. They stopped at a market on the way to the airport and he bought the items, which are legal in that country and never intended to use them.

“If it had not been for excessive drinking with friends in Thailand this offence would never have happened.”

Forbes was in danger of being imprisoned for a five-year statutory minimum, but Judge Aiden Mannon ruled there were “exceptional circumstances” to suspend the prison sentence.

“These items were quite legal for you to purchase in that country and they would not have been put to a nefarious purpose here.

“Consider yourself highly fortunate.”

Forbes was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to perform 150 hours community service, comply with twelve months probation, which includes a Drinkwise course and pay £400 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.”

Hospital Visitor Denies Smooching With Mentally Disabled Patient

An investigative journalist, accused of taking sexual advantage of a mentally disabled young woman on a hospital ward, has denied the charges along with evidence he is an escort specialising in satisfying the desires of people with special needs.

Anthony Moncrieffe, 67, of Buckland Hill, Maidstone, told the Isleworth Crown Court jury his provocative website 'Pascale Princesses' and sex-worker profile was a front to infiltrate a company, which provides escorts to the disabled, which he suspected of exploitation.

He has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual activity with a mentally disabled person between between September 27 and November 15, 2012 at the Royal Brompton Hospital, Chelsea.

Four counts relate to kissing the Dover woman on the lips and the fifth alleges Moncrieffe, a veteran of the Daily Mirror; Sunday People; Press Association and Reuters, put his hand between her legs.

He was the subject of a separate police probe in November 2011 when a bag belonging to him, which contained the profile, details of his website, his press card and viagra was found, apparent evidence of the defendant passing himself off as a sex consultant.

"I don't think I'd be a sex worker, look at me," Moncrieffe told the jury, insisting he had invented a persona so he could investigate the Tender Loving Care Trust, but abandoned the project after two weeks.

"I wanted to infiltrate the organisation because I suspected disabled people were being exploited and my job is to bring that out into the public domain.

"A condition of TLC is that you have your own website giving more information on yourself, including more pictures in evening wear and swimwear. 

"It seems they are a bone fide organisation, legal. There was no story there."

Different members of hospital staff have given evidence against the father-of-four, who regularly visited the woman, and the first said he lifted her oxygen mask and kissed her on the lips.

Moncrieffe explained: "It was an adult-sized mask and she's got a very little face and the mask kept slipping down. I pushed it back onto the bridge of her nose and tightened it.

"She is always smiling and I said: 'Good girl,' and kissed her on the tip of her nose."

The second witness claims seeing Moncrieffe with the oxygen mask in his hand and suspecting him of kissing the woman, but admits their view was not clear.

"What would I want to kiss a little girl on the lips for?," asked the defendant. "Particularly a sick little girl."

A third witness says he was lying on the hospital bed, beside the woman, when he leaned over, lifted the oxygen mask and kissed her.

A fourth claim they heard the sound of kisses coming from Moncrieffe and the woman and he was arrested the day another member of staff says he was touching her between the legs.

"We were holding hands and our hands were resting on her lap," he told the jury. We always held hands, a child likes security.

"The next thing I knew two uniformed security guards arrived."

Trial continues……………. 

PTA Chief Nicked £20K From Primary School Fund

A psychiatric nurse, who stole nearly £20,000 from her boys' primary school's PTA during a disastrous stint as co-chairperson, received a suspended prison sentence yesterday.

Mother-of-two Louise Daly, 42, whose partner works for the NHS, was told by a judge: "Most people would think you can get by on the three thousand one hundred pounds a month you had coming into the household without stealing twenty thousand from a children's primary school."

The first-time offender and graduate, of Greenford Avenue, Ealing pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position, with intent to make a gain, namely £19,202 at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hanwell between September 26, 2012 and January 3, this year.

Prosecutor Mr. Philip Levy told Isleworth Crown Court: "It was intended to be a two-year term at the school her two children attend and she was given a PTA debit card in the name of the previous co-chairperson.

"The fraud came to light because she was struggling with the job and a new committee took over six months early and went through all the bank statements.

"A lot of money had been taken out of the PTA account and revenue raised at various functions had been taken and not banked. None of that money has been recovered.

"There was no way this was not going to come to light and when interviewed Miss Daly was very upset and agreed to repay the money by instalments, but so far nothing has been received."

Remarkably, on the school's website is a message from the current PTA committee, which states: "We would like to thank the previous PTA team and Louise Daly for all their hard work and all their personal efforts and time they put into helping raise valuable funds towards school events and fundraising." 

Daly's lawyer Mr. Hugh O'Donohue told the court his client, whose sons are aged three and ten years-old, is an a: "black psychological hole."

She currently receives £2,300 p.m. sick pay, plus £800 p.m. from her partner and Mr. O'Donohue explained: "She was under pressure to pay day-to-day expenses and pay the rent.

"There are difficulties with her partner, who drinks two bottles of wine a night, and she dipped into the funds.

"She has not repeated her troubles to anybody, but it is obvious she needs counselling. She says there was a strain and she had not enough money from time to time so dipped into it."

Daly took to the witness box to explain her expenditure to Judge Moore, telling him school dinners were £20 per week; the after school club was £50 per month; football training was £25 and she was paying the taxman £100 per month for a child tax credits overpayment.

"My partner would make me buy the alcohol," she added. "I thought I had taken about ten thousand."

Judge Douglas Moore sentenced tearful Daly to twelve months imprisonment, suspended for two years, placed her on a two-year's probation and ordered her to pay £500 compensation within seven days and then £100 p.m. to the PTA.

"She's a graduate, she's intelligent, she's mature and this was a betrayal of the children," added Judge Moore telling Daly: "For whatever reason they allowed you to be in charge of that money.

"It's a despicable offence, clearly an abuse of trust. These are children and you know these are difficult times.

"You are a grown woman and knew what you were doing and the only person who has brought misery upon you is yourself.

"You are not the only person finding things difficult at the moment.

"You just can't turn around and blame everybody else, this was a blatant dishonesty and under normal circumstances you would go into custody, but there are young children here that would suffer.

"You have brought shame on your children and yourself.

"Nobody is quite sure where this money has gone and you have let people down.

"If the school wishes to take you to court to recover the debt they can. This will take twenty years to repay and that's not going to work. That's nonsensical."

Teen Bullies Convicted Of Tricking Victim Into Consuming Urine And Curry Powder

Jamie Campin

Two teenage bully boys, who preyed on a mentally-ill married woman over twice their age, getting her to drink their urine and smoke curry powder in a cannabis joint, will be sentenced next year.

The 43 year-old Hillingdon woman, who is a paranoid schizophrenic who suffers psychotic episodes and has an ongoing alcohol problem, let the local lads into her home early one morning while her husband was staying elsewhere after yet another row.

The Isleworth Crown Court jury heard the young men have a history of tormenting the mentally-ill and recorded incidents on their mobile phones of planning and carrying-out such behaviour.

Jamie Rhys Campin, 19, of Whitethorn Avenue, West Drayton and Connor James, 19, of Uxbridge Road, Hampton Hill were both convicted of two counts of administering a noxious substance, namely urine and curry powder and stealing a laptop and ring, worth £400, on a day between July 5 and 14, last year.

They were both found not guilty of causing an affray at the location and Campin alone was found not guilty to sexual assault by penetration.

Connor James

The case was adjourned until a date to be fixed for pre-sentence reports.

“I was not one hundred per cent well at that time because I have a mental health problem and I did not have any control of the situation,” she told the jury. “They just walked in and I didn't want any trouble.

“These people entered my house early, at seven or eight in the morning and I don't understand why I let them in, in the first place. In my head I believed these people were friends of mine.

“I don't understand why I didn't throw them out. I was very vulnerable at the time.”

The court heard a third mystery man was present and the woman remembers two of them disappearing into her bathroom.

“I remember them walking out with a plastic cup and they asked me to drink it and I drunk a bit and realised there was wee in it and spat it out.

“They stole my computer and my silver ring that my father gave me when I was thirteen years-old.”

Police later found mobile phone footage of the woman being given a cannabis joint to smoke, which had been laced with curry powder, the jury were told.

Light-Fingered Maintenance Man Snatched Cash From London Mews House

Devonshire Mews West

A maintenance worker, who was caught on CCTV helping himself to the contents of a customer's purse when called out to repair the ceiling of a bijou London mews house, has received a suspended prison sentence.

Ashley Gallant, 32, of Eagle Way, Hampton Centre, Peterborough picked on a family who had previously suffered a theft at their Marylebone home and had installed cameras.

He pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates Court to stealing £60 cash from Sohana Jisooh at an address in Devonshire Mews West, Marylebone on October 27.

Gallant received eight weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 200 hours community service.

“He is a maintenance worker and was given keys to the property and had permission to be there to work on the bedroom ceiling,” explained prosecutor Mr. Oliver Schneider-Sikorsky. “There had been a previous theft of one thousand pounds so CCTV had been installed.

“When it was observed Mr. Gallant was seen removing cash from the purse and the management company he works for and the police were called.

“At Paddington Police Station he admitted everything and the money was recovered.”

Gallant's lawyer Mr. George Otchere told the court: “This is a very unfortunate case and he had been working for this company for fifteen years.

“He regrets what happened, he just didn't think and in that moment took the money.

“He has lost his job and feels sorry for what happened and has shown remourse.

“He's unemployed now, he's not working and has a large family and wife a wife expecting.

“It was not a sophisticated offence. It was in the heat of the moment and he did not think.”

Gallant was also ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Teen Sex Predator Began Abuse In Cupboard On Boat Trip

A teenager, who sexually abused three younger children, beginning his grooming by taking the eldest into a cupboard during a boat trip before the assaults escalated during sleepovers, will discover his fate on January 30.

Jake Brookfield, 18, of York Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex was himself aged between ten and fourteen years-old when he subjected the boy and two girls, who are younger than him, to the abuse.

“Sexual experimentation was unchecked and unfortunately continued and at all times he was a child,” Brookfield's lawyer Mr. Mark Kimsey told Isleworth Crown Court yesterday.

Suspicions were raised in 2010 and as a punishment Brookfield's birthday present of an X-Box was withdrawn, but recently more serious complaints were made to police by the victims.

“I don't think I have come across a young man as remorseful as this and he wants to understand why this happened,” added the lawyer.

“The impact on him has been devastating and he has had to sign the sex offenders register.

“A press article has impacted the family to such an extent the defendant's mother is thinking about moving out of the area due to comments left on blogs that are rather unsavoury and on social media.

“These offences occurred over five years ago. They stopped and he has moved on and has no interest in children. This was sexual experimentation.

“He has had a girlfriend since and his aim was to join the Army, but that is very, very unlikely now.”

Prosecutor Miss Heather Standee told the court the offences, which occurred mostly on the Golf Links Estate, Southall: “Reflect sexual abuse over a prolonged period.

“It was initiated by Brookfield when he told the boy to go into a cupboard on a boat trip and groped him when they were sleeping together.

“The defendant would insist and say: 'Do it, do it.' There was a card game with the rules made up by Brookfield and he said whoever won would get the pleasure.”

The boy was aged between ten and thirteen years-old during the abuse and the two girls between seven and nine years-old.

The older girl said Brookfield would argue with her if she resisted and the younger girl then also became a target of the defendant.

“She was scared Brookfield would do something to her. It would happen every time they were alone together.”

Bailing Brookfield to return for sentencing in the new year Recorder Michael Evans QC announced: “This is a very troubling case. I have every sympathy for the victims, but it is a very difficult sentencing exercise.

“My fundamental duty has to protect the public from risk.”

Brookfield pleaded guilty to four counts of inciting the boy to engage in sexual activity on various dates between November 7, 2005 and June 12, 2010.

He also admitted two counts of inciting one of the girl's to engage in sexual activity between August 5, 2006 and January 1, 2011 and one count of inciting the other girl to engage in sexual activity between September 5, 2009 and January 1, 2011, when she was aged seven to nine years-old.

Brookfield denied five further counts, including a charge of rape, and they will not be proceeded with.

Son And Mother Jailed For £650K Mortgage Scam That Funded Property Empire

Wayne Stubbs

A tax-dodging property wheeler-dealer and his jobless mother, who orchestrated a £650,000 mortgage fraud, which funded their property empire were both jailed yesterday.

Wayne Stubbs, 44, received six years and his mother Wendy Stubbs, 62, also of Briarwood House, Orpington Road, Chislehurst, Kent received three years.

Wayne's ex-girlfriend Rachel Gledhill, 39, of Armitage Road, Milnsbridge who worked for Harvey Nichols, but allegedly posed an IT consultant and fine arts dealer to get loans was found not guilty of participating in the plot.

Prosecutor Mr. Nick Mather told the Old Bailey at their trial that Gledhill purchased 52 Hollyfield Avenue, Huddersfield in 2004 with the help of a £225,000 mortgage granted on the basis she was a £67,000 a year IT consultant.

“That is simply untrue, she is not an IT consultant and she was not earning that money. She was working as a sale assistant in Harvey Nichols.

“This is a lie on the mortgage application and this is part of a pattern of lies that go throughout this case.”

The jury were told Wayne was the mastermind behind the frauds. “This is not something Rachel Gledhill has decided to do off her own bat.”

The second property Gledhill purchased, 4 The Courtyard, Holwood, Keston, Kent, needed a £424,950 mortgage and she claimed to run her own successful fine arts business to obtain the loan in 2005.

“She say's she's a professional and had been doing this since May 1996 and owned one hundred per cent of the business.”

Gledhill claimed to net over £172,000 a year from the non-existent business, added Mr. Mather. “All of that was untrue because we known how much she was earning.”

The last known income for Gledhill was £12,000 in 2004 and from 2005 to 2011 she has no employment or tax records whatsoever.

“You can be confident these are lies in her documentation.”

4 The Courtyard was rented for £2,000 per month without the permission of the lender and sold in May, 2008 for £472,000, which the prosecution say is criminal property.

The Stubbs' were involved in further frauds on their own, added Mr. Maher. “It's about mortgage fraud and money laundering.

“These three defendants, individually and together, obtained a number of different mortgages and they did this by lying about their employment and income.

Wendy Stubbs

“They then bought properties on the back of these lies and received steady income by renting out these properties to tenants and that amounted to criminal conduct that was never declared.

“Wayne is behind each and every one of these transactions. His fingerprints, euphemistically speaking, are all over this case.”

Wendy fronted the purchase of one property by claiming to be a £120,000 financial consultant.

“She has never, prior or since, earned that money. She was unemployed and on benefits.”

On another occasion she claimed to be a £75,000 a year interior designer and Wayne himself posed as a £110,000 a year unit trust dealer to obtain a big mortgage.

Wayne has not employment or tax history between 1995 and 2011. “He's a man who has no income at all as far as Revenue and Customs are concerned.

“He's someone seemingly under the radar with no income.”

The Stubbs' were convicted of four counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception for which they are jointly charged.

Ms Stubbs was also found guilty of three counts of entering or becoming concerned with a money laundering arrangement, and a count each of obtaining a money transfer by deception, acquiring criminal property and fraud by false representation.

Ms Stubbs denied but was convicted of entering or becoming concerned with a money laundering arrangement and two counts of acquiring criminal property.

Stylist To The Stars' Double Drink-Drive Crash Shame

A stylist to the stars, who twice crashed her car while nearly four times and then quadruple the drinks limit in the same week, was told she "could have killed someone" by a judge, who described the case as one of the worst he had ever heard.

Chelsea School of Art graduate Clare Harries, 50, of Huddleston Road, Tufnell Park, has a celebrity clientele which includes stars Bruce Willis; Daniel Radcliffe; Jude Law; Angelina Jolie; Robert Downey Jnr and Emma Watson.

Today she was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for two years, disqualified from driving for five years and ordered to comply with an alcohol treatment requirement and attend sixteen counselling sessions.

Hammersmith Magistrates Court District Judge Paul Goldspring announced: "Someone who is this many times over the legal limit is just about as dangerous as anybody on the road. I can't think of a case that ticks as many aggravating boxes."

Described as "one of the most respected and experienced stylists working in the industry today" Harries specialises in film and TV shoots; photo shoots, award ceremonies, including The Oscars, and is also a style consultant and interior designer.

The mother-of-two pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates Court to driving her blue Mercedes in Oxford Street on October 15 with 133 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35 - and driving in Malvern Road, Wood Green on October 20 with 141 microgrammes.

"She is on the surface a woman, who two years ago, was apparently a busy working single-mother. That was a social facade and hidden from virtually everybody, under the ice, there was a slow decline of physical and mental health," said her lawyer Mr. Simon Sherriff.

Prosecutor Mr. Tom Gill said it was 9.15pm when Harries was involved in a collision in Orchard Street in the West End, with the other driver calling the police because he believed Harries was drunk.

She drove off, but was followed by officers who confirmed the smell of alcohol on her breath and she failed a roadside test and was arrested.

While on bail she was arrested again five days later after colliding with a parked vehicle in Whiteman Road, Hornsey at 6.50pm and driving off.

When police caught up with her the car was stationary with the engine running, the lights on the front tyre was flat and Harries was gripping the steering wheel and staring blankly ahead.

In February, 2013 Harries was convicted of being in charge of a vehicle while over the alcohol limit and was fined and given ten penalty points.

"One of her friends tells me you would not believe this is the same woman as two years ago," explained Mr. Sherriff, adding she has a son, aged fifteen and a daughter, aged seventeen years-old.

"The marriage to her first husband was an unhealthy relationship that led to divorce and after the collapse of her marriage to her second husband she lost the family home in March and is in rented accommodation, which she hopes to get out of.

"Social services will take over if there is an immediate custodial sentence and the house she is renting for the children will go.

"There would be a long-term detrimental effect on the children if she goes to prison and they will lose their accommodation. In this case that would be the punishment of the innocent."

The court heard Harries is currently prescribed anti-anxiety drug Citalopram and anti-anxiety and alcohol-withdrawal drug Librium and in September underwent surgery after being diagnosed as high-risk of cervical cancer.

"On the first occasion the officers state she was in a confused state. She is on this medication and it effected her capacity," added Mr. Sherriff.

"The surgery a month before seems the most likely trigger to these offences. The hair that broke the donkey's back."

District Judge Goldspring told a tearful Harries: "There is an issue regarding your thought process around vehicles when you have had alcohol.

"If you get into a car this much over the limit that car becomes a lethal weapon and to compound it there was a road traffic accident. You could have killed someone.

"Within five days you were back in the car over the limit and placed yourself and other road users in great peril. These readings are up there with the highest this court has ever heard of.

"It's a difficult case to sentence. The easiest thing in the world would be to send you to prison, but I have considered carefully the effect your behaviour has had on the children.

"The loss of their mother to custody and then being taken into care would be devastating and they are at an age where they may never recover from it.

"It would be easy to send you to prison, the guidelines make that a clear-cut decision and I feel I ought to, but I'm not going to."

Harries was also ordered to pay £85 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.

"Audacious" Female Fraudster Gets Suspended Sentence For Conning Banker Sir George Mallinckrodt

Target: Sir George's Home

A young female fraudster, who carried out an "audacious", scam on the president of Schroders merchant bank, Sir George Mallinckrodt, who handed over £74,000 worth of jewellery and lost £6,700 in cash, walked free with a suspended sentence today.

Miranda Trudy Elmakhzangy, 20, of Dunstable Road, Caddington, Luton, posed as a police officer and conned Sir George, 84 and his wife Charmaine, 79, into handing over the valuables on the doorstep of their multi-million pound Chelsea home.

Judge Anne Molyneux told her at Isleworth Crown Court: "This was a planned and carefully executed offence. Your victims were vulnerable, they were exploited. This was a mean and cruel thing to do."

She pleaded guilty that on April 7 in
Chelsea Square, Chelsea she stole jewellery, worth £74,000, and £6,700 cash belonging to the elderly couple and received a twelve month prison sentence, suspended for eighteen months.

Sir George is the president of Schroders, an independent merchant bank, which has offices in twenty-seven countries, managing £271.5 billion.

German-born Sir George has an honorary knighthood and his full name is Georg Wilhelm von Mallinckrodt.

He married Charmaine Schroder, sister of Bruno Schroder, the great-great-grandson of the bank's co-founder John Henry Schroder, in 1958, after joining the company four years earlier in New York.

The couple were convinced they needed to hand the items over to police for sake-keeping and when encouraged to call her bank the fraudsters remained on the line and took security details and PINS from Mrs Mallinckrodt.

Prosecutor Mr. Tim Starkey said: "The victim's in this case, Mr and Mrs Mallinckrodt, in the early hours of the seventh of April, having flown back to their home in Chelsea from Germany that night were contacted by somebody pretending to be a PC Harrington.

"It was Mrs Mallinckrodt that took the call and told that she and her husband had been targeted and it was high risk."

The couple were told the gang had already conned a £350,000 Rembrandt etching from other wealthy victims, but that was the: "tip of the iceberg."

They were convinced their bank cards had been compromised and needed to be cancelled and were told to phone the bank number on the back.

"She spoke to a male and went through the cards, giving the numbers and typing in the PIN's and told that they would be cancelled," added Mr. Starkey.

"PC Harrington asked about valuables in the house and she told them about jewellery and he asked if there were firearms.

"They said a police officer would arrive and the password 'Berlin' would prove this was genuine and once that was done they could collect their property from Holborn Police Station." 

The couple were told six plain-clothes police officers were patrolling their exclusive square and Elmakhzangy rang the doorbell at 2am, but had to return because the couple were not ready.

Elmakhzangy's Mercedes car was caught on CCTV circling the square while she waited and this led to her arrest later via number plate recognition.

Her DNA was also taken and matched to the doorbell even though she tried to trick police and pretended to be her sister at Dunstable Police Station. 

After collecting the valuables and cards on the doorstep Elmakhzangy was caught on three different cashpoint cameras withdrawing a total of £1,040.

What's App messages on her phone revealed her involvement in the plan since March, with conversations regarding collecting packages from homes and not getting caught.

Elmakhzangy's lawyer Mr. Tom Buxton said: "The facts of this case are quite extraordinary and it's a great shame to find a young woman of good character involved in something as serious as this."

He told the court an ex-boyfriend and cocaine addiction prompted the offence.

"It seems an audacious offence, but if it is accepted there were others behind the scenes organising this that were far more criminally responsible than her the court may see fit to deal with her in a way that doesn't involve an immediate custodial sentence."

Judge Molyneux added: "Your victims were vulnerable, your victims were deceived, high value items were taken from them and the very high sentimental value can't be quantified."

Elmakhzangy was also ordered to perform 250 hours community service work and pay £2,000 compensation.

Charges of driving a 1.8 litre silver Mercedes in Sharpenhoe Road, Streatley, Bedforshire on July 8 without insurance and obstructing a PC Cundell at Dunstable Police Station on the same day were sent back to Hammersmith Magistrates Court.

Sir George moved to London in 1960 and became director in 1977, serving as chairman from December 1984 until May 1995 and later as president.

Sir George played a leading role in the Bank of England's attempt to save Barings.