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The letter Green sent to fraud victim
Marshall Davis |
Facing prison for £500,000 fraud, estate agent tries one final ploy and writes to his victim: Help clear my name
Colleagues in crime jailed for five years and told: ‘You’ve been living in a fantasy world’
MALCOLM Green – the estate agent convicted of swindling a mentally ill client out of his savings – made a desperate attempt to save his skin by sending letters begging for help from his prison cell while awaiting sentence over Christmas.
In a bizarre final twist to a long-running fraud case, he wrote to his victim, Marshall Davis, accusing him of lying in court and telling him to look into his conscience.
“I have sat in court to hear you lambast my name in various ways – lies!” said Green, 40. “All that I call for is the restitution of my name.”
Astonishingly, Green, who ran Greenfields estate agency in Hampstead for 10 years, then sent notes to his accomplice and fellow inmate at Pentonville Prison, also awaiting sentence, ordering him to change his story.
His letter-writing frenzy was revealed on Friday as he was jailed for five years at Snaresbrook Crown Court for swindling Mr Davis out of nearly £500,000 of his shares, savings and family heirlooms, including his late mother’s engagement ring. Mr Davis had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the con.
Gem Shevket, 34, who worked alongside Green at the estate agency in Heath Street, was also jailed for five years for his part in the scam.
Judge Andrew Collender QC said the two defendants shared the blame. He added: “It’s clear to me that both of you have for some time been living in a world of fantasy. Both of you had become used to a comfortable and, to a degree, fashionable if not lavish lifestyle.
“But then you found yourselves up against it financially, and it was a cruel quirk of fate that Marshall Davis crossed your paths when he did.”
Shevket passed to his legal team the notes Green had sent him while they were both on remand at Pentonville Prison awaiting sentence.
One letter is understood to have said: “The conspiracy which we are both convicted of is high injustice. You have caused a great deal of damage but it is not too late!! Tell the truth. You are sorry for misleading Davis and Green – then I will make my statement. The case will fall. No conspiracy will be held against you and you will be out in six months.”
Another referred to private investigators that Green claims he has now hired to investigate Shevket and to plans to launch a High Court appeal against his conviction.
Edward Henry, Green’s lawyer, said the letters were “indicative of Mr Green and his tendency to shoot himself in the foot”, describing them as “the rantings of a man on the edge of reason”.
It was revealed by Mr Davis on Friday that he too had been sent a letter by Green. “I need you to look within your conscience and deal with these issues,” the posted letter, scrawled in Green’s distinctive looping handwriting, said. “I am innocent of the convictions and accusations posted by the prosecution. I ask that after the festive season you reconsider and look clearly in your mind.”
Green, whose love of opera and polo were revealed in court, added: “I would never set out to steal your money or items.”
Mr Davis said: “I was disgusted to get this letter from Green. I want my money back and I want him to leave me alone. He is still lying. He still hasn’t admitted he did anything wrong. After all this, he was accusing me of doing wrong.”
Mr Davis was first targeted by the swindlers in April 2004 when he went into the offices with a view to selling his house. He was tricked into investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in bogus investment deals. His shares were later transferred to Green’s name while his house in Dunstan Road, Child’s Hill, was looted for jewellery and a rare stamp collection.
Green, who lived at various addresses in Hampstead, and Shevket, from Enfield, were convicted last month after a six-week trial.
The case had been delayed after Green effectively went on the run for nine months last year.
He was tracked down in Switzerland by Detective Constable Kevin Brocklesby, who was singled out for special praise by the trial judge and is now likely to be considered for a high-level commendation.
Detective Inspector Adrian Lewis said: “Their sentences reflect the fact that they preyed upon, abused and deceived a vulnerable victim.
“I would like to thank Mr Davis’s commitment and courage throughout this trial. Also DC Brocklesby for his professionalism and tenacity that has ensured both these predatory criminals have been brought to justice.” |
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