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'Woman's mortgage fraud close to £1m'
A HAIRDRESSER fraudulently obtained almost £1m in mortgages to buy plush homes in Lytham, a court was told.
Deborah Anne Clarkson, 45, of Clifton Drive, Lytham, allegedly claimed to the Halifax Bank and the Bank of Scotland she earned 250,000-a-year and had been running a property investment firm for 20 years.
She applied for remortgages of 600,000 and 304,000 in 2003 for houses in West Beach and Clifton Drive.
But despite claims on mortgage applications of a 250,000 income, Jeremy Grout-Smith, prosecuting, told Preston Crown Court Clarkson had filled out income tax returns, stating her earnings were actually 4,000 in 2004 and 5,500 in 2005.
He said, in reality, she was at home looking after the children while her husband Mark had been declared bankrupt in 1999.
Mr Grout-Smith said at the time the couple married, in January 2002, the defendant was running a hairdresser's salon in Accrington, earning about 13,000-a-year.
The prosecutor told the jury of three men and nine women: "This is a long way from the 250,000 claimed by her later. She claimed to the banks she had a job in property and she was paid 250,000-a-year, when in fact she was a hairdresser who gave up work to have children and whose earnings were nowhere near that.
"She told that lie to further the family's financial interests and also to help her husband who was at the time and remains an undischarged bankrupt."
He said any profits made by Mr Clarkson would have had to have been declared to the trustees of his bankruptcy, so his wife "pretended" to be paying for the properties with legitimate well-paid employment.
The court heard the family had a Rolls Royce car with personalised number plate, as well as a Mercedes Benz sports car.
Mr Grout-Smith questioned the first witness, John Mills, a financial adviser, who had filled in the mortgage application forms at a visit to the Clarkson's home.
He said he had filled in the forms based on information given to him by the couple, but could not specifically remember which of the two had given him which details.
The documents were signed and dated by Mrs Clarkson.
She denies two charges of obtaining services by deception.
(Proceeding)
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Wednesday 30 May 2012
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