Pension fraudsters jailed

Susan Dalton, 66, and Alan Barratt, 62, helped con 245 victims out of a total of £13.7 million. They were jailed at Southwark Crown Court today.

'Mr Barratt had only a limited awareness and understanding to everything that Mr Austin was doing. 'I was going to move to Spain but I can't now because I haven't got any money to move in the first place, and I would have to get a job and have enough money to fund myself while I'm finding a job. Mr O'Reilly was told he was due a lump sum and had ordered a car which he was left desperately trying to find the money for, having to borrow from his mother to pay for it. As she was spending much of her time caring for her dying mother in 2013, she was unable to make a steady income and was drawn in by the promise of extra cash. He said he had requested a review and was referred by the fake adviser to speak to Dalton on the phone, who persuaded him to hand over his savings. 'I was going to move to Spain but I can't now because I haven't got any money to move in the first place, and I would have to get a job and have enough money to fund myself while I'm finding a job. Father-of-four Mr O'Reilly said his dream of spending his retirement in Spain and leaving money for his children were dashed after being sucked into the scam around 2013. As she was spending much of her time caring for her dying mother in 2013, she was unable to make a steady income and was drawn in by the promise of extra cash. Mr O'Reilly was told he was due a lump sum and had ordered a car which he was left desperately trying to find the money for, having to borrow from his mother to pay for it. He said he had requested a review and was referred by the fake adviser to speak to Dalton on the phone, who persuaded him to hand over his savings. Meanwhile, Barratt was a trustee for six schemes and sucked in 139 victims and over £7.7 million of their savings, personally profiting by around £343,000, the judge was told. Barratt was a trustee for six schemes and sucked in 139 victims and over £7.7 million of their savings, personally profiting by around £343,000, the judge was told

Susan Dalton, 66, and Alan Barratt, 62, have been jailed after conning 245 victims out of a total of £13.7 million between 2012 and 2014 - leaving one ...

Furthermore, Barratt was a trustee for seven schemes and sucked in 139 victims and over £7.7 million of their savings, personally profiting around £343,000, the judge was told. The court also heard how during the scam, Dalton was a trustee for four fraudulent occupational pension schemes and duped 103 victims out of a total of just over £5.9 million, taking around £126,000 for herself. A judge was told how the cash bonuses, which victims were led to believe were part of a commission payment from the new schemes, were actually taken from their savings.

Alan Barratt and Susan Dalton, part of a scam that tricked more than 200 savers into transferring their pension pots into fraudulent schemes they controlled ...

Each account is a story of a life ruined and you should be ashamed of bringing such misery to so many innocent people.” I have read 13 victims’ personal statements, they each tell a similar story, which I’m sure is representative of all. The pair were also banned from acting as company directors for eight years following a request by TPR. “In their role as trustees, the pair enabled millions of pounds to be taken from the schemes and channelled offshore, where it was used to enrich others involved in the criminal enterprise and to profit themselves.” He added: “These are undoubtedly extremely serious offences in which each of you carried out the role of trustee dishonestly and, put simply, had you not done so, many people would not have had their lives ruined.” These are undoubtedly extremely serious offences in which each of you carried out the role of trustee dishonestly and, put simply, had you not done so, many people would not have had their lives ruined

A judge told Susan Dalton the fraud caused 'such misery to so many people'

George Payne, representing Dalton, told the court that while she had acted improperly as a trustee, she believed the pensions schemes were legitimate and even convinced her own brother to invest £250,000. A solicitor was also instructed to send disgruntled victims comfort letters and threaten legal action, the court was told. Meanwhile, Barratt was a trustee for six schemes and sucked in 139 victims and over £7.7 million of their savings, personally profiting by around £343,000, the judge was told. However, the funds, most of which were transferred to offshore accounts, have never been recovered, the court was told. During the scam, the court heard Dalton was a trustee for four fraudulent occupational pension schemes and duped 103 victims out of just over £5.9 million, taking around £126,000 for herself. A man said to have been the scam's 'mastermind' - David Austin - took his own life in 2019 after being invited for a police interview under caution, a judge was told.

Following a prosecution brought by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), Alan Barratt and Susan Dalton were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after admitting to ...

TPR executive director of frontline regulation, Nicola Parish, added: “This is a despicable case which highlights the devastating impact pension scammers have on their victims. Each account is a story of a life ruined, and you should be ashamed of bringing such misery to so many innocent people. “Pension scams ruin lives. Two pension fraudsters have been jailed for a combined total of more than 10 years for their roles in a scam that saw over 200 savers tricked into transferring £13.7m into fraudulent schemes. I have read 13 victims’ personal statements, they each tell a similar story, which I’m sure is representative of all. Two pension fraudsters have been jailed for a combined total of more than 10 years for their roles in a scam that saw over 200 savers tricked into transferring £13.7m into fraudulent schemes.

Alan Barratt and Susan Dalton helped con 245 victims out of a total of £13.7 million between 2012 and 2014.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “I was going to move to Spain but I can’t now because I haven’t got any money to move in the first place, and I would have to get a job and have enough money to fund myself while I’m finding a job. Mr O’Reilly was told he was due a lump sum and had ordered a car which he was left desperately trying to find the money for, having to borrow from his mother to pay for it. “I don’t trust very well because obviously I was scammed in this way so it’s brought a lot of issues into my life that I didn’t have before, which I didn’t think I would have going into my old age.” As she was spending much of her time caring for her dying mother in 2013, she was unable to make a steady income and was drawn in by the promise of extra cash. The victims of a multimillion-pound pension scam which saw them duped out of their life savings have told how it “ruined” their lives and left them “panicky”.