Bond-envy
fraudster
 jailed over
£918,000
swindles

Adam Adamou, 39, tricked brothers James and Martin O’Toole and their associate David Breeze into handing over hundreds of thousands of pounds after promising to invest the cash in luxury cars and a set of first edition books about the fictional spy.

He persuaded the York-based businessmen to invest in so-called list places to secure sought-after Rolls Royce Phantoms, Aston Martins, Ferraris and a Lamborghini concept car that was never put up for public sale.

Adamou also conned them into handing over nearly £250,000 to restore three E-Type Jaguars but pocketed the money.

A fourth businessman, Adam Bernholt, also lost £75,000 to Adamou in an alleged business investment and £46,200 in a car deal.

Jailing him at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Deborah Taylor said: “These were high value, premeditated offences of fraud and dishonesty including a large number of victims. It’s clear that these matters not only affected the victims personally financially but also had an impact on their health and business interests.”

The O’Toole brothers and their former colleague Mr Breeze, who now has his own enterprise in Leeds, ran an investment company called Aston Court which had offices in York but has since moved to London. The firm had an off-shore arm named Universal Exports – the pseudonym used for the British Secret Service, MI6, in the James Bond stories.

The Yorkshire Post understands the fraud is thought to have topped £1.4m, although the court heard it netted Adamou a total of £918,015. It stretched from Yorkshire to St John’s Wood in London between 2007 and 2009.

The three Yorkshire victims paid out vast sums of money which Adamou pocketed after initially providing luxury cars including Aston Martins and an Audi R8.

They met Adamou when they were approached to join a private concierge club, which helps entrepreneurs to invest and make money by buying and selling luxury goods.

Among the payments was £12,100 for a first edition set of James Bond novels by author Ian Fleming, which never materialised, while £40,000 was handed over for a Lamborghini. However, the model promised was only a concept car and had not even gone into production.

Inspector Garry Ridler, who led the North Yorkshire Police investigation alongside the Metropolitan Police, said: “The case sends a clear message to all fraudsters that their lies and duplicity will be uncovered and they will be made to face the consequences of their actions.”

Adamou, 38, of Kenning Road, Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, previously appeared in court in July and pleaded guilty to 25 charges of fraud. A further nine counts of fraud and one of money-laundering were ordered to remain on file.

Judge Taylor said yesterday that as Adamou had been declared bankrupt since his arrest he would be ordered to pay back just £1 of the £918,015 he netted.