Serial conman who mingled with stars douses his own face with acid in court
One of the country’s most prolific conmen was fighting for his life last night after pouring acid over his face in the dock as he was jailed for his latest swindle.
In a major security breach, Marc Marshall was able to take a metal water bottle containing the noxious substance into Inner London Crown Court.
The 54-year-old, who was on bail, persuaded security guards it was not harmful by taking a sip from the bottle when he appeared for sentencing on Monday.
But within minutes of the judge passing sentence, Marshall had poured acid on his face, screaming and inadvertently splashing a female custody officer guarding him in the dock.
He was ordered to serve two years and four months in jail for a £135,000 cheque fraud.
The case had already been delayed because Marshall suffered serious medical problems after stabbing himself in the neck when he was arrested by police in 2016.
It can now be revealed that he is one of the country’s most notorious fraudsters whose long list of victims includes Olympic athletes, the family of convicted sex offender and former footballer Adam Johnson and the ex-wife of bankrupt tycoon Scot Young who mysteriously plunged to his death.
Known by a variety of aliases, the Walter Mitty character was once described as a ‘fantasy fraudster’ by a judge who deplored his 48 convictions dating back to 1991.
Under the name Mark Cas, he conned elite athletes – including Andy Turner, Mark Lewis-Francis and Lucy Boggis – out of thousands in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics, through a bogus sponsorship business.
In another scam in 2013, he bought a £216,000 Hublot watch, a camera and clothing worth £28,000 from Harrods with a fraudulent cheque. Marshall used the Hublot watch to get a loan of £77,000 and flew to Monaco to watch the Grand Prix. He enjoyed hospitality on the Mercedes F1 yacht and was pictured with former British racing driver David Coulthard.
His next con came after bankrupt tycoon Scot Young was found impaled on the railings of his penthouse in London in December 2014. Believing he was a private detective, Michelle Young paid Marshall £14,000 to track down her ex-partner’s ‘missing fortune’.
But when he requested extra money without providing any information she called the police.
Stabbed himself in the neck
In 2016 the family of Adam Johnson were swindled out of up to £170,000 as they tried to help the shamed footballer escape justice for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.
They made a steady stream of payments to Marshall, claiming to be a former MI6 agent who could unearth evidence in the footballer’s favour before Johnson was jailed for six years.
Witnesses told yesterday of the moment Marshall brought out a bottle of acid at Inner London Crown Court. According to one bystander, his face went white and there was a smell of acid. ‘It looked like he had glue on his skin,’ the witness told the BBC.
Marshall was treated at the scene by a paramedic and taken by ambulance to St Thomas’ Hospital. The custody officer who was splashed was also taken to hospital and has been discharged.
A spokesman for HM Courts and Tribunals Service said: ‘The safety and security of all court users is our priority and we’re deeply concerned about the incident at Inner London Sessions House. Police are urgently investigating what happened.’