Cruise ship captain fraudster handed extra prison time for conning more people including father-in-law

He has now been handed a further sentence for conning his father-in-law, an 86-year-old woman and a charity shop manager, appearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday.

He was dealt with for numerous matters between 2016 and 2019, some of which were committed while on a two year suspended prison sentence order imposed by Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in August 2019, after he defrauded the Inland Revenue.

The court was told the 45 year-old took £105,000 from his father in law David Hawkes over a two and a half year period between 2016 and 2019.

He claimed he needed the money after his NatWest Bank account was hacked and money was taken from it. He made up fictitious characters including a solicitor, a barrister and expert witnesses and created forged documents supposedly from them.

While carrying on this fraud, he posed as the cruise ship captain to sell phoney luxury holidays to friends and family.

Prosecuting, Mr Jim Davies said 17 other counts of fraud and false representation came from the Worcester area between January 1 and November 30, 2019.

They included the theft of £9,000 from 86-year-old Sylvia Tainton, and nine charges of fraud by making a false representation to Ms Tainton for various amounts of money but totalling about £35,990.

They also included fraud by making a false representation to Paul Rigby claiming that Oliver was permitted to use Ms Tainton’s Barclays debit card to make payments totalling £7,500 and five charges of fraud by false representation to Francesca Holder totalling £9,120.

Mr Davies said in March 2019 Oliver turned up at a Worcester stud farm run by Carsten Sandrock saying his ex-partner had taken all his money and he had nowhere to stay. He stayed there and built a relationship with Ms Tainton, Mr Sandrock’s friend.

In May 2019, using the name Joe Oliver, Jody Oliver got a job at a Volvo dealership and was selling up to 50 cars per month earning around £85,000 a year.

When his manager became suspicious about his life, he made up a story about his identical twin brother Jody and showed him photographs.

Oliver began completing sales for special order high value vehicles, using Ms Tainton’s bank card, and when the vehicles arrived the sales could not be completed.

In 2020 Oliver was arrested for fraud and his job was ended on January 15, 2020 – Oliver even filed an unfair dismissal claim.

Oliver persuaded Ms Tainton to buy shares in Volvo - she gave him cash and cheques, to a total value of £35,990.

There were no shares and these offences were committed within six weeks of Oliver being sentenced for the VAT fraud.

He was sent to the Worcester Cats Protection League shop to do his community work. He offered to find a new car for manager Francesca Holder and her partner and she transferred £9,120 into his account.

The cars never turned up. She asked for her money back and was given just over £4,000.

Each of the victims told the court of the impact the crimes had on them, financially and mentally.

Mitigating, Mr Ben Waters said Oliver has spent his first year in prison reflecting on his behaviour and the lives he had devastated.

He said Oliver had always had to hide things from others – his feelings, insecurities and his sexuality. He said living a double life was exhausting and coupled with a gambling addiction, it was a recipe for disaster. Oliver lost over £136,000 gambling but thought he could win it back and applied for loans with extortionate interest rates.

Mr Waters said Oliver wished to convey his remorse and was trying to better himself in prison – championing equal rights, organising a Pride event and helping other prisoners.

He said Oliver is now keen to help others.

Judge Jeremy Jenkins called Oliver a "devious and thoroughly dishonest character who will stop at nothing to defraud others".

He said Oliver’s letter was "nothing but the narcissistic out-pouring of a fraudster". He said not once in the letter did Oliver mention his former wife, former husband or children.

“It is all about you,” Judge Jenkins said and he said that far from the media coverage of his crimes making his wife and children suffer, it was Oliver that had caused his family’s suffering.

“Until you recognise that fact, which you do not, you will continue to be what you are – a fraud.”

He told Oliver the time had come to end the charade, the chances and leniency as he sentenced him to a total of six years and two months, starting immediately - even though he is already in custody.

He said this will mean Oliver’s expected prison release date of August 2025 will now be some time in 2026.

A proceeds of crime hearing will take place on October 27.