Crooked businessman Timothy Wren jailed for eight years

Crooked businessman Timothy Wren was in the dock along with four others involved in the fraud plot and they received sentences totalling 21 years.

Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said: “Everyone involved was driven by greed and the potential for huge financial gain.”

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the seven year fraud involved an elaborate scheme to dishonestly miss-sell portions of green belt land on a site in Studley Road, Redditch, using misleading information.

40-year-old Wren used a variety of companies to acquire the 38 acre site for £250,000 as it had no development potential.

He then arranged for architects to draw a site plan for more than 400 plots, many described as for a three or four bedroomed houses, and infrastructure including roads and recreational spaces.

The plots, that had cost £500 to buy were sold for more than £15,000 frequently as a result of targeted phone calls by a sales team to people who had shown some interest in land investments.

Peter Grieves-Smith, prosecuting, said that Wren and his right hand man Kevin Hilton, whose company Land Banking (UK) Plc had bought the land, commissioned experts to do a planning permission appraisal - and the report made it plain the chances of planning permission was almost non-existent.

Despite this the site plan was drawn up to market the land and purchasers, from all walks of life, “were given the firm impression that planning permission would be obtained for the site and their initial investment would yield impressive rewards".

Mr Grieves-Smith said: “They were persuaded to invest by silver-tongued salesman supported by convincing websites and brochures. Those brochures gave the impression that the vendors had real expertise in this area of land investment and it was a wise an safe investment.

“The truth was totally different. The investors were to find they own a plot of land in a field which was of little if any value,” he said.

Land Banking (UK) also purchased four other plots of land around the country.

However the defendants, who were convicted after a lengthy trial, only faced a conspiracy to defraud involving the Studley Road land.

42-year-old Hilton, of Oak Drive in West Lancashire was jailed for six years, John Chandler, 60, known as Jack, of Clock Face Road in St Helens received seven years and his wife, Jeanette, 61, of the same address, was put behind bars for four years as was Alfred Arthur, 57, of Deepdale in Leigh.

Wren, of The Common, Parbold in West Lancashire, was also banned from being a company director for 15 years.

Jailing the defendants Judge Menary said he was satisfied they all knew or realised that there was never any intention of seeking planning permission and also knew that without such a prospect each individual plot was essentially worthless.

He said that the fraudsters used a similar business model for every site - an illustrative estate plan, slick marketing material and salesman willing to make exaggerated claims about its potential.

When the trial began there were six other defendants accused of playing various lesser roles but they were acquitted.