Former solicitor accused of fraud

NINE people, including a former Aberdeen solicitor, have been accused of being involved in a £7 million property fraud.

David George Pocock, Russell Taylor, Alastair Walker, David Ramage, David Mark Pocock, Frank Pocock, Patrick Pocock, Mark Mackie and Arlyn Cran are all alleged to have been involved in the scheme.

Allegations include forming fraudulent schemes to gain money, mortgages and property over four years at various Aberdeen addresses.

David George Pocock, 47, Taylor, 42, Walker, 61, and Ramage, 52, are alleged to have pretended David George Pocock was buying properties supported by valuations prepared by Walker. It is alleged they knew the values were false and induced banks or building societies to give them money.

David George Pocock, Taylor, David Mark Pocock, 30, Frank Pocock, 48, and Patrick Pocock, 45, allegedly submitted mortgage applications – pretending they were supported by Walker’s mortgage valuations – despite knowing the properties were already owned by David George Pocock and subject to fraudulently obtained mortgages.

David George Pocock and Taylor are further accused of failing to redeem mortgages and the total obtained through fraud is alleged to be £4.6m.

The banks and building societies where the mortgage applications were allegedly made include Clydesdale Bank, Bank of Scotland, Alliance and Leicester Building Society and Woolwich PLC.

Taylor, whose address was given in court papers as 25 Beaconsfield Place, Aberdeen, was said to be acting as a solicitor at the time while Walker, of 27 Springdale Road, Bieldside, Aberdeen, was allegedly acting as a chartered surveyor.

A further £134,000 was alleged to be obtained by David George Pocock, Taylor, Walker and Ramage by inducing another person to obtain a mortgage and transfer funds on 46 Devonshire Road, Aberdeen, which they pretended Pocock owned.

David George Pocock, Taylor, Walker, Ramage and Mackie, 41, are alleged to have obtained £2.2m by fraud through a scheme involving properties in Rosemount, including the building known as Gilcomston Church.

David George Pocock, Taylor and Cran, 40, are alleged to have obtained £180,000 by fraud in another scheme involving bank overdraft facilities.

David George Pocock, Taylor, Walker, Ramage and Patrick Pocock are alleged to have obtained another £112,200 by fraud through a mortgage application. David George Pocock, whose address was given as 76 Rubislaw Den North, faces another three charges relating to £70,000 allegedly received from tenants in properties by fraud.

He, along with Taylor, Walker, Ramage, of 37 Hillside Crescent, Westhill, David Mark Pocock, c/o George Mathers and Co, Frank Pocock, of 34 Robins Grove, Warwick, Warwickshire, Patrick Pocock, of The Steading, Woodside of Cloghill, Kingswells, Aberdeen, Mackie, of 13 Coldstone Avenue, Aberdeen and Cran, of Balbrogie Cottage, Kinellar, are to appear at the High Court in Edinburgh.