Suffolk conman targeted elderly to defraud them out of millions

Long was arrested in April 2018 and in December 2018 jailed for eight months for contempt of court when he failed to provide information to help track down his clients’ missing money.

At a High Court hearing he claimed he had little more than the clothes on his back and a push bike.

He was later charged with two counts of fraud by abuse of trust after he had caused 115 victims financial losses totalling £11,577,762.

Long pleaded guilty to the offences in March at Southwark Crown Court and on Friday was jailed for eight years and fours months.

His business associate, Raymond Simpson, who is believed to be in Portugal, was also jailed for five and a half years after being tried and convicted in his absence of two counts of fraud, one between 1 January 2014 and 23 April 2018 and the other between 1 May 2015 and 23 April 2018.

During the sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Gregory Perrins considered 37 victim impact statements, excerpts of which were read by the prosecution.

The court heard how Long had left some of them with feelings of “guilt and shame” while others said they hoped their late relatives would forgive them.

When jailing Long, Judge Perrins said: “Your offending has taken a very heavy toll on the lives of so many and you should feel deeply ashamed.”

He added that he had “abused the trust” of particularly vulnerable people “to keep your business running and so you and your family could enjoy all the trappings of wealth”.

Judge Perrins said Simpson had assisted Long by using money taken from trust accounts to “invest in a series of increasingly reckless investments”.