Fake 'Lord' jailed for multi-million pound fraud

An entrepreneur, whose mansion was used in the movie The King’s Speech, has been jailed for committing fraud totaling £4m.

Following the lifting of reporting restrictions, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has revealed that self-styled “Lord” Edward Davenport, 45, was the mastermind of a commercial loans advance fee fraud scheme in which businesses were ripped off.

Davenport set up Gresham Ltd in 2005 and pretended it was a respectable business with experience of sourcing large commercial loans.

Between 2006 and 2009, his victims paid him to inspect their companies ahead of lending them money as venture capital.

Davenport was jailed last month for seven years and eight months, along with defendants Peter Riley and Borge Andersen.

All three men were convicted on 19 May of conspiracy to defraud following a three month trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Riley was sentenced to seven years and eight months, and disqualified from acting as a company director for ten years, alongside Davenport.

Andersen was sentenced to three years and three months in jail, and disqualified from acting as a company director for seven years.

In addition, the SFO revealed the involvement of three further men who were arrested for admitting fraud by false representation.

David McHugh posed as both a lawyer and accountant in order to deceive investors at Gresham Ltd.

Richard Stephens posed as a surveyor to convince investors their projects were being properly considered and David Horsfall, a solicitor, provided misrepresentations to investors as to Gresham’s ability to advance loans.

The three will be sentenced on 10 November.