'Ritz con' jury continues deliberations

THE jury trying three alleged conmen, including one from Yorkshire, who are accused of trying to sell The Ritz hotel for £250 million have retired to continue their deliberations.
By The Newsroom
Published 1st Jul 2010, 13:18 BST

The trio found victims who were interested in the high-stakes world of trophy properties and sucked them in with false promises until they handed over a 1 million deposit, Southwark Crown Court in central London heard.

Anthony Lee, 49, of Broad Lane, Beal, Goole, is accused of being at the heart of the con which involved "one great big lie", convincing potential buyer Terence Collins that he was a "close friend and associate" of the reclusive billionaire Barclay brothers, owners of the prestigious hotel in Piccadilly.

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Lee and his business partner, retired construction company contracts manager Patrick Dolan, 68, pretended they had the ability to arrange the sale while solicitor Conn Farrell, 57, added "a veneer of legitimacy" to their scam, the court was told.

Lee and Dolan told the jury of nine women and three men the 1 million payment related to a separate property deal they had with Mr Collins, while Farrell said he was simply acting on the instructions of his clients.

The jury began their deliberations on Wednesday in the fourth week of the trial.

Lee, Dolan, of Philip Lane, Tottenham, north London, and Farrell, of Cambridge Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, are on bail and all deny conspiracy to defraud between January 1, 2006 and March 30, 2007.

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