Hunt for conman’s cash
A LONELY hearts fraudster dubbed Britain’s most notorious conman is facing a legal bid to strip him of his fortune.
Mark Acklom, 46, was jailed for five years last year after admitting fleecing a mother-of-two out of her £300,000 savings by posing as a Swiss banker.
He wooed Carolyn Woods, 62, with the promise of marriage but a year into their relationship he vanished after claiming to be working as a spy in Syria for MI6.
Prosecutors started confiscation proceedings against him on Tuesday and a full hearing will follow at a later date.
Campaigners have welcomed the move to pursue Acklom, who was first exposed as a fraudster at school when he took £13,000 from his teachers in 1991.
David Spencer, of the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: “Acklom’s despicable crime deprived an innocent woman of her life savings and he should not be allowed to benefit from his crime by a single penny.”
The serial scammer, who lived not far from Carolyn with his wife and two children, spent her money on a £60,000 Porsche and living expenses for his family, his trial hearing was told. At the time, duped Carolyn said: “He was flirtatious and charming. I was caught up in a whirlwind of excitement. I felt I’d fallen in love. He told me he had never felt this way about anyone and we must get married. I’ve still got the wedding dress I never wore. It was all a charade.”
By the end of 2013, she was penniless and could not afford the rent on her home in Bath.
Yesterday Acklom’s mother, Diana, 75, said she doubted her son would change his ways if his funds were seized. She said he has an untreated personality disorder “so why would it make any difference?”