Mayfair jeweller 'violated' in fraudster's £280k investment scam

“It’s been hell”: victim Suzanne Lauder
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A Mayfair jeweller today described feeling “violated” by a fraudster who was jailed for a £280,000 investment scam used to fund his champagne lifestyle.

Simon Beesley, 42, persuaded his friends Suzanne Lauder and Sam Lipton to hand over their savings after “grooming” them with lavish dinners and Wimbledon tennis tickets. After Beesley was sentenced to almost three years in prison at the Old Bailey last week, Mrs Lauder — the owner of Moira Fine Jewellery, whose customers include Madonna, Adele and J K Rowling — said the scam had made her life “hell”.

The fraudster, who claimed he had access to Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, promised them 20 per cent returns on their investment in a maritime patrol aircraft project. Instead he spent the money on family holidays to Canada, New York and China as well as paying off his overdraft and business debts. He also used it to buy his wife a £6,000 diamond watch for her 40th birthday from Mrs Lauder’s shop.

When confronted about the scam, he tried to delay paying the money back by making up a lie that his daughter had a rare form of cancer.

Beesley conned Mrs Lauder, 51, a mother of three from Barnet, out of £178,000 and Mr Lipton out of £100,000.

Mrs Lauder told the Standard: “It was very upsetting. It’s been hell for me. He said his daughter had cancer. That’s the lowest of the lowest.

“I was flabbergasted. How can you do that? It’s a horrible thing to do.

“I feel terrible — he has a wife with young children. But I’m a single mother with three children and I’ve worked six days a week for 33 years. I feel so distressed by it all.

“I’ve had my world turned upside down. I’m still riddled with guilt that someone [with eight to 10-year-old kids] has gone to prison but he didn’t think of the consequences.

“The moral is never sign something and always get someone else to check.”

Mr Lipton, who first met Beesley at an ante-natal class, added: “This entire matter has been distressing for me and my family and I’m happy it’s all over now. I feel that the sentence is fair.”

He told the court he was fooled into believing that Beesley was a respectable businessman and described him throwing lavish parties in restaurants where he would pay the entire bill.

Beesley started his scam after racking up large debts and was under pressure from the banks, the Old Bailey heard.

In December 2012 he visited Mrs Lauder’s jewellery shop and told her about a plan to invest in the company Extreme Global Solutions. “She decided to invest £100,000 because she trusted Mr Beesley,” prosecutor Daniel Robinson said. Beesley used the money to pay off debts and buy Christmas presents.

By October 2013 he was again overdrawn and visited Mrs Lauder’s shop to buy his wife a 40th birthday present.

Mr Robinson said Beesley did this to pretend he had lots of money “to try and get more money from Mrs Lauder”.

Mrs Lauder gave him a cheque for £78,500 — which was spent on a shopping trip in New York and a family holiday at Disney World.

He admitted fraud shortly before his trial was due to start and has since paid the remaining debt of £273,900 to his lawyers to pass on to the victims.

Jailing Beesley for two years and nine months, Judge Mark Lucraft QC described his actions as “a shocking abuse of friendship”.

Beesley, who lives near Regent’s Park, admitted three counts of fraud by false representation and one count of supplying an article for use in fraud.

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