Mark Acklom

Mark Richard George Acklom[1][2][3] (born 1973) is an English conman and fraudster who was on Britain's National Crime Agency's list of 10 most-wanted fugitives. His criminal career began at the age of 16 and he has been imprisoned five times in Spain since 1999. He was wanted by Avon & Somerset Police on suspicion of fraud by false representation.

Early life

Mark Acklom was born in the Lambeth district of London in 1973,[4] the oldest of four children. He was educated at Eastbourne College. He was first jailed in 1991 when he was sentenced to four years in a young offender institution for stealing his father's American Express card and posing as a stockbroker to commit a £1 million fraud that included obtaining a £446,168 mortgage on a house and hiring private jets.[5][6][7] He was described by the judge as "utterly selfish and completely ruthless".[6] His parents, who informed the police of their son's activities, sold their house in Bromley and began to rent to raise money to help pay off his debts.[8] The events were the subject of an episode of Crime Limited in August 1993.[9]

Career

Acklom has been imprisoned three times in Spain. He was wanted by Avon & Somerset Police on suspicion of fraud by false representation after he started a romantic relationship with a woman in 2012, telling her he was Mark Conway, a rich Swiss banker and MI6 agent. The woman lent him a total of £850,000 which has never been repaid.[10][11][12] His other aliases are alleged to include Marc Ros Rodriguez, George Kennedy and Zac Moss.[8]

In May 2017, he was reported to have been seen and photographed in a café in Switzerland with a man who could be wanted fugitive Costas Estevez.[13][14] Police seeking to detain Acklom under a European Arrest Warrant had previously been searching for him in Spain after he was released early from prison there before the warrant could be issued.[15][16]

Acklom was on the National Crime Agency's list of 10 most-wanted fugitives.[15] On 30 June 2018 Acklom was arrested at an apartment in Zürich[17]and after extradition in 2019 was set to face trial later that year.[18]

Acklom admitted fraud, relating to £850,000, acquired from a woman he targeted, at Bristol Crown Court in August 2019. He was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months and was the subject of a Sky documentary in 2019 – Conman: The Life and Crimes of Mark Acklom.[19][20][21]

Family

Acklom is married to Maria Yolanda Ros Rodriguez who uses the aliases Yolianda Ross, Maria Long and Mary Moss. The couple have two daughters.[22]

References
  1. Linham, Laura (2 June 2018). "Police hunt continues for wanted conman Mark Acklom". somersetlive.
  2. Peracha, Qasim (6 September 2017). "Here are the faces of London's nine most wanted". getwestlondon.
  3. Elvin, Laura; Cameron, Amanda (14 January 2018). "Fugitive accused of swindling Bath mum may have new identity". bathchronicle.
  4. Mark Richard G Acklom. Family Search. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. "Schoolboy's £446,000 loan fraud", The Times, 5 July 1991, p. 3. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  6. "Teenage swindler given four years", Robin Young, The Times, 3 August 1991, p. 3. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  7. Mark Acklom, Britain’s most wanted man, living it up in Switzerland. Neil Johnston, The Times, 14 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017. (subscription required)
  8. Prolific conman Mark Acklom who began life of crime in Sussex on the run after allegedly defrauding lover of £850,000. Rachel Millard, The Argus, 22 October 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  9. "Choice", Peter Waymark, The Times, 5 August 1993, p. 39. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  10. Mark Acklom. National Crime Agency. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  11. Woman claims 'MI6 lover' Mark Acklom defrauded her of £850k. BBC News, 5 January 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  12. Britain’s Most Wanted Mark Acklom attempted to scam Marbella divorcee in MI6 con. Rob Horgan, The Olive Press, 27 November 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  13. One of Britain's most wanted conmen spotted in Geneva. ITV News, 2 June 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  14. Britain and Europe's most wanted men on the run together. Martin Brunt, Sky News, 13 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  15. Suspected fraudster Mark Acklom evades capture after Geneva sighting. Martin Brunt, Sky News, 2 June 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  16. Alleged British fraudster Mark Acklom evades capture AGAIN in Geneva. Laurence Dollimore, The Olive Press, 2 June 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  17. "'MI6 conman' Mark Acklom arrested in Switzerland". BBC News. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  18. "£750,000 fraud man denies charges". BBC. 25 March 2019.
  19. Lumley, Sarah (7 August 2019). "Conman admits wooing divorcee by posing as spy and fleecing her out of £850,000". mirror. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  20. "Conman jailed for £300,000 fraud". BBC. 7 August 2019.
  21. "Mark Acklom: Britain's most notorious conman 'may have suffered brain damage at birth', says mother". Sky News.
  22. "Fugitive fraudster on run with family", Valentine Low, The Times, 24 October 2017, p. 19.
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