Carlisle man allowed scammers to use name for fraud

Image source, Craig McGlasson

Image caption, Paul Okosun admitted letting scammers create bank accounts in his name

A man allowed fraudsters to open bank accounts in his name to launder stolen money through, a court heard.

Thousands of pounds scammed from a business and a woman who thought she was paying for her father's care were put in accounts in Paul Okosun's name.

Okosun, 33 from Carleton, made about 拢1,500 by letting the criminals use his name, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

He was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 12 months, after admitting money laundering charges.

He was also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to three counts of entering into a money laundering arrangement.

Police had been unable to bring the email scammers themselves to justice, the court heard.

'Absolutely devastated'

One of their victims was a fledgling construction company from Hampshire which lost 拢6,500.

Another was a Devon woman who paid 拢1,044 believing it was for private care of her elderly father whose health was deteriorating.

Both sums were sent to bank accounts set up in Okosun's name, with some of the money then quickly transferred into third account and rapidly withdrawn.

Both victims were left well out of pocket, with company staff being "absolutely devastated" and the woman reporting a "great deal of upset", the court heard.

Married father-of-two Okosun spoke of being left "in shock" by the fraud, the court heard.

Judge Peter Davies told him: "The harm that you caused was substantial. It was to people who could ill-afford this loss of money."