Accused fraudster ‘brushed off’ rescue plan

Plans to rescue the life savings of thousands of investors caught up in a £226m swindle were ‘brushed off’ by an alleged fraudster, a court heard. David Ames, 70, is accused of three counts of fraud by abuse of position as the company director of Harlequin Management Services South East Limited (HMSSE). The former boss allegedly encouraged investors to purchase overseas properties in the Caribbean before they were built and then failed to give them anything in return. Prosecutors claim…