Conman jailed for five years over scam to sell Ritz hotel for £250m
A Goole conman has been jailed for five years after being convicted of a scam to sell The Ritz hotel for £250 million.
Jobless lorry driver Anthony Lee, 49, of Broad Lane, Beal, near Goole found victims who were interested in trophy properties and sucked them in with false promises until they handed over £1 million.
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Anthony Lee has been jailed for five years.
Lee was convicted earlier this month of obtaining payment by deception.
He had convinced potential buyer Terence Collins that he was a "close friend and associate" of the reclusive billionaire Barclay brothers, owners of the prestigious hotel in Piccadilly.
Sentencing him at London's Southwark Crown Court, Judge Stephen Robbins said: "You were found guilty by a jury of this elaborate and outrageous scam, purporting to sell the Ritz hotel, thereby obtaining £1 million from your victim.
"This con or scam or sting, whatever term is used, was probably motivated by your mistaken belief that Terry Collins had deprived you of another potentially lucrative property deal and it may be that this offence was done out of revenge."
Earlier, Nicholas Johnson, defending Lee said: "The custodial setting has hit him hard. He is very different in his aspect."
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by A. Spiv, Everywhere
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 10:14AM
“The best one was; when the balifs arrived to evict everyone in the court that had been sold for twenty five quid and a blue Peter badge.”
by Tekkin' a lag @, Queen Vicky Bogs
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 9:21PM
“I am accepting offers for anyone interested in buying the HDM ......... the bidding starts at 55p ........”
by Cliff, Hu
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 8:49PM
“Mick. That's OK mate we'll share the profits 50-50.
Wonder who the chump is who might buy it from us? :)”
by mick, hull
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 8:24PM
“soz cliff didnt see u got in 1 st tut”
by mick, east hull
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 8:23PM
“for sale humber bridge in good nick hardly used ,70 million ono no time wasters please”
by winegumdaze, middlesbrough
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 8:21PM
“the nutter who parted with a million quid must of won it or found it because hes crackers he couldnt of got through business ...hes a cheesehead...its a shame the fella got jail and hes shouting i dont like lumpy powdered milk porridge screw..........i want coco pops that makes me milk go chocolatety........where do you think you are fletcher the ritz/?”
by Ranter, Hull.
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 7:49PM
“An unemployed lorry driver getting the better of a greedy get rich quick a'@seole.
Mr Lee deserves a medal, not five years.
Hope the "victim" feels rather silly and foolish, perhaps coming to terms that he is not the clever wheeler dealer business man he imagined himself to be, but just a sucker. Ha ha ha. Pity HDM couldnt name this greedy plonker.”
by Cliff, Hu
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 6:11PM
“I've always thought this to be a ridiculous case. Who could possibly be conned into buying The Ritz hotel for £250 million. In my wildest dreams I can't imagine how this could remotely be expected to get off the ground and even the biggest idiot walking the streets of Hull wouldn't be sucked in. The first lawyer's sniff would quash it in an instance. Five years is ridiculous, he should have to clean the vacated rooms for six months for being daft and that should be sufficient. I've always thought that he's been strung along for someone's amusement and then hung out to dry for a whim.
Anyone want to buy the Humber Bridge for £250,000,000? It¿s a nice little earner, particularly if you raise the toll for a car from £2.70 to £5.00.”
by billy wizz, beverley high road
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 4:09PM
“The people that thought they could possibly be getting a bargain from this man should not be so greedy, it is an insult that this man has been sentenced to 5 years should have received a suspended sentence and not imprisoned.
Two youths who happy slapped a man in a recent case, where this man later died, only received 4and half and 5 years.
I think it is a good possibility that the men who thought they would get the Ritz at a knock down price, have friends in high places?
The old adage states that money talks.
Do you think that the embarrassment brought upon the so called good and the great, has influenced this Judges decision.”
by Trev, Ex-Hull
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 3:35PM
“From Ritz to the rubble”