Mortgage fraud gang is caught

Barry Stevenson (34) of Elm Grove South, Barnham worked for mortgage broker company Karnell Management for three years.

In the company's five-year spell it swindled lenders out of 5.2m in 26 different mortgage applications.

Stevenson joined the operation in 2004 to work for his in-laws, Neil Negus (50) and Karen Bone (48), who set up the Midhurst-based company in 2002.

Guildford Crown Court heard how Negus forged his wife's signature, and supplied bogus national insurance numbers, pay slips and other documents when applying for mortgages.

The scam duped banks and building societies such as Northern Rock and Halifax across Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey over a period of five years.

Described as someone who could 'charm the birds from the trees' Negus recruited others into his plan, using 57-year-old accountant John Kinnear to make the applications seem more credible with false earning figures.

Judge Peter Moss said his personality led to people having confidence in him, in particular his wife, who he said was 'dazzled' by Negus.

"He is clearly someone who could have applied himself in another way," he said. "In a strange way he is not a career criminal but he is more dangerous than that."

He added: "His personality, no doubt in the initial stages, led to a confidence in him, which led to Mr Kinnear's fall from grace.

"He has this double character."

Before Negus was sentenced, the court heard evidence from Midhurst Cancer Research charity shop volunteer Christine Barrett, who knows Negus through his volunteer work.

The court heard Negus still has a direct debit set up to donate money to the shop.

"He comes in regularly twice a week and three afternoons a week," she said. "He operates the till and has access to the safe.

"I have absolutely no qualms about his trustworthiness and honesty.

"He is a breath of life to my elderly volunteers. He will just be so, so missed."

Paul Sims, defending Stevenson, said: "This fraud was all under way by the time he came across it. He took the job innocently thinking it to be an honest and proper job.

"He was brought in, shown how to do things and carried on doing so."

The other defendant involved in the scam was Mark Pickering (38) of Lime Drive, Fleet, Hampshire.

Described as a 'customer' of the scam, he received multiple loans with the help of Karnell Management.

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