Jail for Sparkhill identity theft con men

Nov 27 2008 by Mark Cowan, Birmingham Mail

During the pursuit he knocked a 69-year-old pensioner to the ground, leaving her with a fractured left arm and left leg.

Hall was sentenced to two years imprisonment after being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, 12 months for grievous bodily harm and six months for an unrelated burglary at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.

Alphonse Nelson, 41 and Paul Meehan, 39, both from Sparkhill, were sentenced to two years and 15 months respectively for conspiracy to defraud.

Det Chief Insp Simon Wallis, head of West Midlands Economic Crime Team, said: “These sentences should send a message to anyone who mistakenly thought that identity fraud would not be dealt with as serious crime. Far from victimless, these crimes can have a serious impact upon those whose identities have been stolen. It can be a pretty anxious time and take countless hours re-establishing their correct identities and proving it was not them who obtained the money.”

The conspiracy ran between December 2006 and May 2007.

When police swooped they had applied for loans worth about £100,000, of which £30,000 had been given to them.

After their arrest, police recovered forged driving licences and utility bills. These were found to relate to real people who were unaware their details had been obtained and were being used.

Det Chief Insp Wallis also praised the financial industry for its help.

“We got some really good co-operation from the credit agencies that enabled us to bring these offenders to justice.”