Serial conman offered jobs as stars' drivers

DOZENS of people who were long-term unemployed were duped by a serial conman from Yorkshire who offered them fake jobs as chauffeur to the stars.

Mark Shortland, 43, advertised for drivers on the Jobcentre Plus website and held interviews in Liverpool, Manchester, Castle Donington and Luton, a court heard.

He offered about 80 people driving jobs and many of them sent him 100 retainer as a deposit for the keys to a luxury car. They thought they would be earning up to 30,000 a year.

One victim interviewed by Shortland in Manchester said: “They told me I would get three tailor-made suits, a mobile phone and a fuel card and that I would be driving people like Simon Cowell about town.”

Yesterday Shortland, of Mosborough, Sheffield, was jailed for three years after admitting a series of frauds including the car scam which netted him 100,000.

The Yorkshire Post revealed that police were investigating that swindle earlier this year and sentencing Shortland yesterday, Judge Alan Goldsack said: “It was the most wicked of frauds.”

He said of the victims: “They were clearly taken in by you. There were no jobs. Many had been unemployed for a long time and pinned their faith on the job.

“Others handed in their notices at existing jobs believing they had a new job with you. You have shown not a hint of remorse.”

He told Shortland: “I have heard more lies from you than I often hear in a month.”

Shortland, who has 18 previous convictions for dishonesty including a conviction for illegally operating a taxi business in 2007, ran his fraudulent empire from a rented flat.

Det Con Juliet Faram, who investigated his frauds, said: “He was very convincing. He had a Savile Row suit and a sunbed tan and people fell for his patter.

“He was very plausible and would tell the females he conned that he was an airline pilot.”

One Liverpool victim was suffering from cancer and still receiving treatment when he handed in his notice at his previous job. DC Faram said: “He was offered the driving job and when it turned out to be false was affected very badly.”

Police were alerted to the swindle after other victims contacted the MoneySavingExpert.com website to complain of Shortland’s tactics.

One man posted: “I am a self-employed driving instructor and have let all my pupils go, plus me and my wife have two young boys and we had big plans for the money.

“We had booked Florida next year and bought a sofa on finance. Won’t be going to Florida. The deposit is lost and we are now skint ourselves paying for a sofa we can’t afford. The guy is scum.”

Another victim wrote: “Because of this low-life I am 100 worse off with a wedding still to pay for and now no job.”

The court heard Shortland also conned women with whom he had relationships. He sold one’s car and never gave her the 2,500 proceeds.

He even told the author of his pre-sentence report that he only had only one previous conviction.

Judge Goldsack told Shortland: “One of your victims has described you as a lying, untrustworthy, dishonest conman. I can’t improve on that description.”

Several of his fraud offences were committed while on bail and involved more than 100,000.

He admitted six offences of theft, three of fraud and one of obtaining services by deception.

Shotland had also advertised goods on internet auction site eBay, taking payments and never sending the items and tricked a student out of 200 for a rental deposit on a flat.

The conman acted as a go-between on arranging a 75,000 mortgage for a business associate and stole the money.

Shortland was given a total of three years in prison.

The judge told him: “It was determined and planned criminality.”