Fake M16 spy ordered to pay back £125,000 to his victim

A serial conman who posed as a Swiss banker and a MI6 spy to defraud his victim, who was left penniless, has been ordered to pay back £125,000 to her or face more time in jail.

Mark Acklom, 52, deceived the victim into thinking they were in a committed relationship and would get married, so that she would loan him money. However, he vanished leaving her penniless.

Acklom was sentenced to five years and eight months’ imprisonment for five counts of fraud totalling £300,000 in August 2019.

The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division took him back to court this week and secured a Confiscation Order from which a Compensation Order for his victim is to be paid. He must pay £125,000 within three month or face having two years added to his sentence. If he comes into more money the CPS will seek further such orders against him.

The CPS through its comprehensive proceeds of crime work, in conjunction with the investigation bodies, particularly Avon and Somerset Police, secured a Confiscation Order for the defendant to pay back his available assets. This week Bristol Crown Court determined Mark Acklom benefitted to the sum of £710,000 from his fraudulent actions and then made a Confiscation and Compensation Order in the amount that the Judge determined he has available to pay - £125,000.  Mark Acklom will remain liable for the difference between his benefit and available amount and can be reinvestigated at any stage.

The prosecution team worked closely with international counterparts in Spain and Switzerland to gather evidence and secure his return. After being extradited from Switzerland in 2019, he admitted five charges. Acklom was freed from a Spanish jail last year, after being extradited at the end of his UK sentence.

Andrew Kerrigan, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service said:

“Mark Acklom was a calculating persistent fraudster who exploited a victim into believing that he was involved in foreign espionage and was wealthy banker and needed loans to fund property renovation work on his string of properties. But this was simply not true, and he acted in a calculated and pre-meditated manner which led to the victim’s total financial ruin.

"We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly and identify his available assets.  We are determined to disrupt and deter fraudsters like Acklom.

“In the last five years, over £478 million has been recovered from CPS obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £95 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.”