Notorious British fraudster fails in bid to remove judge from case
Notorious British fraudster fails in bid to remove judge from case
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A notorious British fraudster who was jailed in the UK after conning an ex-girlfriend out of £300,000 has failed in his bid to remove a judge from his case. Mark Acklom, 51, previously admitted five counts of fraud against Carolyn Woods, from Gloucestershire, and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in 2019.
He was extradited to Spain in 2021 – having fled the country in 2016 during a fraud sentence – and served a further two years in prison before his release in 2023. Since his guilty pleas in England, prosecutors have been using Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) legislation in an attempt to recover the money stolen from Ms Woods.
During their relationship, Acklom posed as a Swiss banker and an MI6 agent. Over the past five years, there have been a series of hearings at Bristol Crown Court to establish Acklom’s criminal benefit and available assets. On Wednesday, Acklom’s legal team argued that Judge Martin Picton – who jailed Acklom in 2019 – should be recused from the case.
Acklom was due to attend the hearing at Bristol Crown Court through a video link but instead dialled in on an audio link. No details were revealed of his location although Acklom has a wife and two children living in Spain. Representing Acklom, Martin Sharpe referred to a lengthy document written by his client in which he made a series of allegations about the case’s management and the work of prosecutors.
