Leslie Gayle-Childs, 59, has been slammed with a hefty 14 years and nine months behind bars for a twisted property scam in Hitchin.
Scam Exploited Dead Man’s Estate
Gayle-Childs claimed ownership of a Hitchin house using a fake company he created purely to pull off the fraud. The property’s original owner died in 2006 without leaving a will. Taking advantage of this, Gayle-Childs falsely insisted the deceased had secured a loan on the house from his bogus firm.
In July 2020, he applied to the court to transfer the house’s ownership to his fake loan company, insisting the debt was unpaid, and pushed to evict the sitting tenant.
Retired Cop Sniffs Out the Hoax
The court initially ruled in Gayle-Childs’ favour. But retired police officer DC Quinn suspected something was amiss and urged the tenant to report it as fraud. Quinn even turned up at the civil hearing alongside the tenant.
This tipped off Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit. They launched a lengthy probe into Gayle-Childs’ offshore shell companies and numerous civil cases he’d brought to court.
Long Arm of the Law Hits Back
On Friday 6 February, Gayle-Childs, formerly of Winnington Close, North London, was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court for two counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of perverting the course of justice.
Hertfordshire Police also secured a Criminal Behaviour Order to clamp down on any future dodgy dealings if he’s ever released.
