Property fraud couple sentenced after ‘longest trial’ comes to an end
A couple involved in a largescale property fraud have been jailed for a total of 13.5 years after what was believed to have been the longest criminal trial in UK legal history. Edwin Mclaren, 52, from Quarriers Village in Inverclyde, orchestrated the £1.6 million property fraud scheme, which involved duping victims in financial difficulty to sign over their homes.
Prosecutors said he preyed on vulnerable people and arranged for the title deeds of their homes to be transferred to his associates without the victims’ knowledge.
He was found guilty of 29 charges in May following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow which began in September 2015 and heard evidence over 320 days.
He was sentenced to 11 years in jail yesterday as many of his victims watched on from the public gallery.
His wife Lorraine Mclaren, 51, was found guilty of two charges, involving a fraudulent mortgage application on their own home. She was sentenced to two-and-a-half years.
Passing sentence, judge Lord Stewart said: “The evidence shows frankly breathtaking dishonesty in every aspect of your enterprise. The jury have found you an outright liar.”
The trial lasted so long as the court heard evidence for a number of days from each witness on topics such as conveyancing and accountancy.