FEARS THAT HUGE FAIRHAM HOUSING SCHEME WILL OVERWHELM CLIFTON
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A FRAUDSTER cheated people out of cash for farm machinery that was never delivered in a scam which started as he served out his last prison sentence.
David Aves had been in an open jail where he was given a mobile phone. He started duping innocent members of the public out of money.
The 62-year-old, from Ragdale Road in Bulwell, continued to run the fraud when he was released on licence.
It went on for 10 months by using various websites, including Gumtree, or by finding victims himself to buy farm machinery.
The details of the scam were heard at Nottingham Crown Court where Aves was sentenced to 40 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to nine offences of fraud and one theft.
The total value of his dishonesty was just short of £35,000.
Judge John Burgess told him he had one of the worst criminal records he had ever seen 24 convictions for 179 offences - and 88 of those were offences of fraud.
The latest frauds involved significant planning, a number of Paypal accounts, six bank accounts and several mobile phones.
The judge told Aves’ lawyer: “He gets a lot of money out of people by cheating them. What he is not good about is getting away with it.”
Aves created aliases, got money from each victim, arranged the delivery of items, then repeatedly delayed the delivery with excuses and lies.
Leanne Summers, prosecuting, said for some victims the impact of the pandemic also exacerbated the financial impact.
The theft charge related to the purchase of a van. Aves sent payment using a credit card fraudulently. Aves was contacted by the seller about this and he sent a cheque for £2,800 which bounced. The van was recovered in Nottingham on false plates and the seller had to pay for its recovery.
The frauds were similar in nature. One involved an advert on Gumtree for a tractor. A sale was agreed by a buyer and £5,100 sent by bank transfer. The delivery was due to an address in Northern Ireland.
The buyer was contacted by the defendant to say he was turned away by dock staff. But the buyer followed this up and was told there was no recollection of a driver or tractor being there. The victim then tried to contact the defendant repeatedly.
Nicola Hornby, mitigating, said Aves used the money to pay legal fees over a civil action.
At the end of the hearing, a timetable was set for a confiscation hearing and an application for a serious crime prevention order.
A COLLABORATION between Nottingham Trent University and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to protect a peregrine nest perched high on the university’s Newton Building in Nottingham city centre is marking its 20th year.
And with perfect timing the peregrine pair at the heart of the partnership have delivered their first egg of the 2021 nesting season.
The egg is believed to have arrived in the early hours of March 15 and while only time will tell if the egg will hatch, if it does, the emerging chick could be the 40th to fledge successfully from the nest site in the past two decades.
Whilst the partnership was initially formed simply to ensure that the peregrines, a Schedule 1 protected species, were safe and secure - with cameras introduced solely for security monitoring, the replacement of the original camera with high definition optics in 2012 opened up the view of the nest to people across the globe.
Speaking about the arrival of the 1st egg of 2021 Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s head of communications Erin Mcdaid said: “Every year our work with Nottingham Trent University to protect the peregrines brings new learning and challenges and for many years now we’ve been delighted to be able to share the highs and lows of the breeding season via the camera feed and we’re very excited at the prospect of seeing the 40th chick fledge in 2021.”
Whilst always popular with viewers locally and across the globe, the ability to view the nest provided solace for thousands of people during lockdowns in 2020 with the cameras generating more than 500,000 views.
Given the popularity of the nest last year and following a number of issues with the existing cameras, Nottingham Trent University has now invested in an upgraded suite of cameras for 2021 which will give people an even better view of nest.
Erin added: “We’re delighted that our partners at the university have been able to upgrade the cameras and this should give people an even better opportunity to follow the family this year.
“The location of the cameras is also pretty unique – many nest cams just point down into a nest box but the Newton cameras give great views across the city.
“We know that many people with links to Nottingham really enjoy seeing these amazing birds against the city centre backdrop.”
More eggs are anticipated in the days ahead with hatching due in mid to late April depending on the number laid.
Anyone wishing to view the comings and goings in the nest can do so by visiting nottinghamshirewildlife.org/peregrine-cam
CONCERNS over a huge increase in traffic and services being overwhelmed have been raised as work progresses on a new £800 million neighbourhood on the outskirts of Nottingham.
The Fairham development, off Nottingham Road between Clifton and Gotham, will add 3,000 homes to the area.
As well as the new homes, Fairham will deliver a new school, community centre, health centre, sports pitches, community parks and woodland.
The Government has recently announced £83m of funding for the development to support the delivery of the infrastructure needed to complete it.
The aim is to bring new homes and jobs to the area but some people living in Clifton, have concerns.
Malcolm Edwards, 69, a part-time actor, said: “The pressure on services is going to be tremendous. The traffic is going to get worse, too. There are going to be a lot more people coming into Clifton.
“There are developments going on all around Clifton, near the village as well, and it’s too much. They want to make everything bigger, it’s all being changed. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Meanwhile, 74-year-old Ronald White, who has lived in Clifton for 30 years, told the Post: “I think services here might get overrun. It’s going to be a stretch if they’re adding that many houses.
“They would be better off making improvements to the shops and roads we already have, not building a brand new development.”
However, Vicky Walters, also 74, said: “I think it will be beneficial to the area. It’s good they want to invest money in Clifton. Hopefully it will bring some lovely people here.”
Fairham will be brought forward in phases over 10 to 15 years and could mean the tram network is extended towards East Midlands Airport.
Construction is now under way at the site and the development is expected to create around 2,000 jobs.
Homes England, the Government’s housing delivery agency, acquired 250 acres of the 606-acre site in May 2019 and is working with Clowes Developments on the project.
Robert Hepwood, Land and Planning Director at Clowes, said: “This funding will accelerate the delivery of best in class infrastructure across the site that will enable Fairham to really take off.
“By this time next year people will be able to see more progress on site, with further road improvements and the first housing phases under way. As the new neighbourhood for Nottingham, we can’t wait to bring this exciting development to life.”
Speaking on the government funding, Housing Minister Christopher Pincher MP said: “This is fantastic for Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands not only because we are building 3,000 new homes but also for the boost this will give to jobs and the local economy.
“This is part of our mission to build back better from the pandemic and deliver the homes this country needs.”
IT’S been a hard year, but with lockdown restrictions set to lift soon, we can’t wait to get back to the places we love. The pandemic has shown us the resilience of local businesses, and also reminded us how much we miss them.
At Inyourarea and Nottinghamshire Live, we want our millions of members and readers to show their support for the hairdresser, the pub, the restaurant and every type of business on the high street you’ve missed the most.
That’s why we’re giving away a total of £1 million of Business Memberships to help businesses get back on the front foot after lockdown.
And to make that happen we need you, business owners, to showcase how you’re back. Safe, open and raring to be back serving your customers with the #Backforgood campaign.
It’s free to list your business and the first 10,101 submissions will receive a free Business Membership on Inyourarea, worth £99 a year. You can find out more about the Business Membership at www. inyourarea.co.uk/advertise-withus/business-directory, but make sure you come back to claim this offer.
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To take advantage of this amazing opportunity, fill in form at inyourarea.co.uk/go/backforgood and you’ll then become a member of Inyourarea.
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We’re giving up to 10,101 businesses this opportunity for FREE as part of our #Backforgood campaign.
As a Business Member on Inyourarea, we’ll show your business to people using Inyourarea within a 10-mile radius, you’ll be prioritised in our local services directory when people near you search for the services you offer. You’ll also get the opportunity to be included within our daily email newsletter to local Inyourarea members. More than five million people use Inyourarea across the UK each month, so this is a great chance to reconnect.