CONMAN ANTHONY BERNARD MISSED FREEDOM BY MINUTES.

CONMAN ANTHONY BERNARD MISSED FREEDOM BY MINUTES.

HE HAD MADE HIS MONEY, HIBAGS WERE PACKED, HE HAD 800 IN
TRAVELLERS CHEQUES AND HE WAS READY TO WALK OUT THE DOOR.

THEN FRAUD SQUAD OFFICERS SWOOPED ON HIS WANDSWORTH HOME AND
CAUGHT HIM WITH THE FORGED DOCUMENTS HE HAD USED FOR HIS HOTEL
SCAM, SAID MR MICHAEL BOWES, PROSECUTING.

AND THE HAPLESS CONMAN FOUND HIMSELF ON THE WAY TO THE NICK
INSTEAD OF THE AIRPORT, ACTON CROWN COURT HEARD.

BERNARD FORGED TWO IDENTITY CARDS PRETENDING HE REPRESENTED
THE A-Z WORLDWIDE AND GLOBAL HOTEL GUIDES, AND THREE ORDER BOOKS
FOR THE WORLDWIDE GUIDE, MR BOWES ALLEGED.

HE PICKED ON SMALL HOTELS AND OFFERED THEM THE PRIVELEGE OF
AN ENTRY IN A GUIDE FOR LESS THAN 50.

HOTEL OWNERS JUMPED AT THE OFFER OF CHEAP ADVERTISING IN
THESE WELL-KNOWN BOOKS.

AND CARRIED AWAY BY THEIR ENTHUSISIAM, AND BERNARD’S FORGED
PAPERS, NO-ONE RANG THE REAL A-Z GUIDE’S LONDON OFFICE TO CHECK
HIS CREDENTIALS BEFORE THEY HANDED OVER THE CASH, THE COURT
HEARD.

HE CONNED THE HOTELS OUT OF 761, COUNSEL SAID.

BERNARD,58, UNEMPLOYED OF BASSINGHAM ROAD, WANDSWORTH,
PLEADED GUILTY TO THREE CHARGES OF OBTAINING PROPERTY BY
DECEPTION FROM LONDON HOTELS BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1985 AND JANUARY
1986 WITH 15 SIMILAR CHARGES TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION, AND
FORGING DOCUMENTS IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR.

HE ALSO PLEADED GUILTY
TO A FURTHER CHARGE OF HANDLING STOLEN GOODS.

MR BOWES SAID IN 1977 BERNARD ACCEPTED 600 CASH FROM A
8000 JEWEL ROBBERY CARRIED OUT BY TWO OTHER MEN.

HE EVADED JUSTICE BY GOING ABROAD, AND IT WAS DISCOVERED
AFTER HIS ARREST THIS YEAR THAT HE WAS STILL WANTED FOR HIS PART
IN THE ROBBERY, COUNSEL SAID.

BERNARD WAS ORDERED TO PAY COMPENSATION TO THE HOTELS HE
CHEATED.

BUT HE REGAINED HIS LIBERTY AFTER FOUR MONTHS IN CUSTODY
WHEN HIS 18-MONTH JAIL SENTENCE WAS SUSPENDED FOR TWO YEARS.

PASSING SENTENCE MR ASSISTANT RECORDER COLGAN TOLD HIM
‘THESE WERE SERIOUS OFFENCES BECAUSE YOU CHEATED A NUMBER OF
HOTELS OF THEIR MONEY’.

ENDS.