‘Dr Fraud’ gets 18 months for Covid scam

A notorious conman known as ‘Dr Fraud’ who jetted around the world despite owing the taxpayer £40 million has been jailed for 18 months for a Covid ‘bounce back loan’ scam. Gerald Smith, 69, who is a qualified GP, claimed his firm Arcana Solutions (UK) Ltd was adversely affected by the pandemic and he needed the government money to ‘meet personal expenditure and liabilities’. Smith was convicted of the £50,000 fraud by false representation and was jailed for a ‘calculated…