Fraudster who conned war veterans & pensioners out of £28k over fake battlefield tours faces justice

Nov 24 2011 Exclusive by Keith McLeod & James Moncur

A BATTLEFIELD tours conman who swindled war veterans, disabled pensioners and schoolchildren out of almost s30,000 is finally being brought to justice.

Smooth-talking crook John Lennox set up bogus companies who advertised and sold foreign breaks to historic war sites and graveyards – then failed to deliver on them.

Lennox, 48, demanded huge deposits before sending fake letters to his clients confirming travel arrangements, hotel accommodation and tour itineraries. But he never made a single booking.

The fictitious trips offered by Lennox commemorated anniversaries of battles such as Arnhem and the Normandy D-Day landings from World War II, and Ypres from World War I.

The callous conman, who was also known as Ian, targeted the most vulnerable in society over three years – from 90-year-old war heroes to school kids.

Last month, following a major Trading Standards investigation, the divorced father-of-three admitted fraudulently obtaining £27,855.

He is due to be sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court today.

Among his victims were a group of former paratroopers from Fife.

With Blackpool infamous for being the New Capitol of Scotland, this story is sad for many reasons.  One being Blackpool police’s inability to investigate Blackpool veteran’s who were conned as their comrades North of the Border have been duped.  The evidence is indisputable especially in the case of Veteran Royal Marine Derek Coyle, who spent the 6th of June 1944 fighting for his life in the channel alongside the Normandy beaches after his landing craft was sunk beneath him.

Never before able to return, the disabled Hero was supposed to join a veterans group with his family, to visit the very beach he had put his life in danger to free;  but he never got there.  Shortly before he was to embark, he was informed by an organizer and discredited former Councillor that he had been omitted from the party.  The outcry from the organisation, for which Mr Coyle is now President, is so much of a cowardly whimper which comes of little surprise to the high number of local former Royal Marine Commandos who are not members of this local Association.  That the former Councillor is still actively duping locals that he is the panacea for service welfare when he has not the competence or authority, is destroying the ethos and hard earned reputations of those caseworkers who have given freely, time and care for their former comrades.  It is also a sop to those who have spent years qualifying the the intricacies of care.

It makes one wonder how many others were left floundering in Blackpool whist the ne’er-do-wells went off on a freebie -paid for by the charity Heroes Return – in the Heroes stead?  Answers please to the Shop on Bank Hey street.

Lieber shadow Law Sec supporting a terrorist friend?

No matter how you gloss this story, the facts speak for themselves. Lancashire have three labour MP directly involved with the Miller Family, or through office as a Minister of State.

One, as MP for Blackburn and Minister of Justice Mr Jack Straw, promised the Miller Family that he would do everything he could to ensure that Andy Miller’s children received justice. All the MP’s have done is draw their enormous salaries and ignored the English family whilst a suspected terrorist gets every assistance our taxes can provide.

While Lieber rewrite history, they are conveniently forgetting the promises of the Office to defend the people who fought for our Nation. Instead they choose to fight for those who want to destroy us. Lieber’s promises are proving not to be worth the paper they are not written on.

Amplify’d from web.archive.org

I have been very concerned about the situation regarding Babar, and I have taken a number of steps to try to help his case, and support his family and friends ever since he was first arrested and since being elected as the MP for Tooting. I asked for a meeting with the Home Secretary in order to discuss Babar’s case with him prior to the 16 July extradition deadline. I also hosted a cross party meeting in parliament on 4 July organised by the family, friends and supporters of Babar Ahmad, highlighting concerns about the Extradition Treaty.

Unfortunately, the Home Secretary has allowed the extradition request. Babar Ahmad’s lawyers have now appealed to the High Court and he is awaiting a hearing that should begin shortly.

I have added my name to an Early Day Motion which urges the Government to amend parts of the Extradition Act 2003. I have also been asking my parliamentary colleagues to sign the EDM too. You can read the text of the EDM here.

I have known Babar Ahmad for over fifteen years. We both grew up in Tooting. We have both been privileged enough to go to university and to gain good jobs afterwards.

Unfortunately our lives have taken quite differing directions in the last couple of years. Whilst I have been fortunate enough to be elected to Parliament to represent the constituency of Tooting, Babar has been detained in Woodhill Prison. He has been in prison now for two years, awaiting extradition to the USA. Read more at web.archive.org

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1iw9h