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| Rosemary Straker |
A bogus financial advisor who “bamboozled” a 75 year-old pensioner out of her £650,000 home will begin a six-year prison sentence once police catch him.
Tony Trivett, 48, quickly blew £46,000 in a couple of weeks after remortgaging the property and treating himself to a luxury holiday in Phuket, Thailand.
The absent Trivett, of Milton Road, Brentwood, Essex, who a judge said was motivated by “pure greed”, was convicted on two counts of fraud.
Instead of being left with half a million pounds from the sale of the flat all retired Rosemary Straker, had to show for it was £15,000.
She agreed Trivett could have 5% of the sale price once the flat in Elmwood, North End Way, Hampstead was sold after her death in return for him paying off her mortgage.
However, the flat, which she shared with her son and a lodger, ended up in Trivett’s name and he immediately remortgaged it for £425,000 and disappeared.
“This was a sophisticated and audacious fraud designed to deprive a seventy-five year-old woman out of her home,” said Recorder Nicola Shannon.
“It represented her current and future security and she hoped to pass it onto her son. She worked very hard for many years to buy the property.
“She feared the mortgage would not be paid and he exploited that trust for financial gain. He bamboozled her and took the property from under her nose.
“His callous disregard, patronising manipulation and sheer greed is expressed by him even reneging on giving her fifteen thousand of the thirty thousand pounds she expected for improvements.
“He absconded with the proceeds of the mortgage he took out on the property and spent forty-six thousand in the first few weeks, another demonstration of his shameless greed.
“He knew the power he had and he deliberately abused it.”
Prosecutor Mr. Jonathan Loades told the jury: “These documents show the title of the property had passed to him for a fraction of what the property was worth.
“She was done out of her property, he obtained it for less than half the market value. He acted fraudulently and had not carried out her wishes.”
She believed her £145,000 mortgage would be wiped out by Trivett and she would have £30,000 cash for improvements while retaining ownership.
“I wanted to hang onto the flat, I did not want to sell it,” she told the court.
However, a £290,000 sale went through and as the new owner Trivett immediately borrowed £425,000 against the flat and £114,500 was paid into his bank account, which had a balance of 32p.
“He’s got the property and now he’s going to charge it up to the tune of four hundred and twenty-five thousand pounds,” added Mr. Loades.
“That’s greatly to his benefit isn’t it? Mrs Straker had a valuable property and now it is in the hands of someone else.
“It’s been sold for a fraction of its worth, remortgaged and that happens as a consequence of fraud on Mr. Trivett’s part.
“Mrs Straker cannot tell precisely how it was done. The secret of a good conman, fraudster is leaving the victim not knowing how they’ve been fleeced.
There is only one beneficiary, and a considerable one at that, Mr. Trivett.”
The sale was completed on December 20, 2013 and Trivett was arrested on March 20, 2014.
“He says there was no fraud or dishonesty and he was acting honestly and legally to carry out the wishes of Mrs Straker.
“The evidence points clearly that this man was dishonest and fraudulent in relation to these charges.”
The jury were told the defendant even held back half of the £30,000 Rosemary expected for improvements, claiming it was too much money for her to handle.
She suddenly received a letter telling her the flat had been sold for £290,000. “I was astonished. i had not agreed to sell him anything.
“It was totally opposed to what I wanted to do.”
Forgery was not proved, but the trial heard one witness suggest Trivett somehow had versions of Rosemary’s signature that was transferred onto documents.
Rosemary continues to reside in the property, but because Trivett defaulted on the mortgage payments she is under threat of repossession.
Outside court she said: “I’m feeling very vulnerable at the moment,” adding her next fight was saving her home from repossession.
Trivett was unanimously convicted of fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position on or before January 24, 2014.
He was sentenced to six years imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.
He was cleared of one count of acquiring criminal property.
A warrant remains outstanding for his arrest.
