A conman tenant, who sold a luxury property in London’s Kensington and Chelsea area that he was renting by posing as the owner, has been jailed for three years.
Southwark Crown Court heard how Steven Rice, 43, moved into the luxury home on Donne Place, South Kensington, using the false name of Stuart Knight.
He faxed a copy of a fake passport to upmarket estate agent Knight Frank, who let the property on his behalf. He quickly moved into the three storey house in South West London, changed the locks and hired a special ‘facilitator’ to organise a quick sale.
Rice – who owns a yacht company – then posed as 83-year-old property owner and former Olympic yachtsman Vernon Stratton to put the house on the market. He sold it for £1.47 million, approximately half of its real value.
The conman was only caught at a Halifax branch in March this year, after trying to transfer the cash to Dubai.
Rice had set up a fraudulent account with Halifax in the landlord’s name, to pay in the money, and staff became suspicious when he presented them with a fake driving licence in Mr Stratton’s name.
He was jailed for three years after admitting possession of a fake driving licence, a fake passport and acquiring criminal property.
The conman was found to be working as part of a gang, in what was described as a “skilful, orchestrated and planned fraud” by prosecutor Gavin Ludlow Thompson.
He said: “This case involves the plundering of innocent persons' identities on a grand scale.”
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