A notorious fraudster who stole a woman's life savings while pretending to be an MI6 agent and a Swiss banker has been ordered to repay her £125,000. Mark Acklom, 52, was given the confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act at Bristol Crown Court, though investigators admit it is unlikely the money will ever be recovered.
The Web of Fantasy and Deceit
The court heard how Acklom, using the alias Mark Conway, met victim Carolyn Woods in a boutique in Tetbury in January 2012. Within a month, he had accepted a marriage proposal, despite already being married. He then spun an elaborate web of lies, claiming friendship with celebrities like Nicky Clarke and Chris Evans, contact with Hillary Clinton, and involvement in secret MI6 missions.
Exploiting this fabricated 'committed relationship', Acklom duped Ms Woods into lending him £299,564 of her life savings in 2012. He claimed the funds were for renovating properties in Bath, Somerset, but instead used the money to buy a Porsche and rent a Georgian manor. Judge Martin Picton stated that Acklom "was determined to bleed her dry" and exercised "quite extraordinary powers as a conman."
A Life Ruined and a Fugitive Hunted
The impact on Carolyn Woods, a divorced mother of two, was devastating. She suffered "total financial ruin", having cashed in her pension and used savings to pay bills, which led to her being hounded by debt collection agencies. In a victim impact statement, she said she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, calling the crimes an "act of the utmost cruelty, designed to destroy my life for his personal gain."
Acklom fled the UK and was named one of Britain's most wanted fugitives as part of Operation Captura. He was eventually tracked to Switzerland, extradited, and in 2019 was jailed for over five years after admitting five counts of fraud against Ms Woods. Prosecutor John Hardy KC told the court Acklom benefited by £710,000 from his crimes, but the available sum for repayment was determined to be £125,000.
A Lifetime of Fraud and Limited Hope for Recovery
Judge Picton expressed the "greatest doubts" that the money would be recovered, noting that Acklom now lives in Spain with his wife and children. However, the order means Acklom will effectively be unable to return to the UK for fear of being imprisoned for non-payment. Acklom attended the recent POCA hearing remotely but did not switch on his camera or speak.
This was far from Acklom's first offence. His criminal history includes:
- A four-year sentence in 1991, aged 16, for a £466,000 mortgage fraud where he posed as a City stockbroker.
- Spending £11,000 using his father's stolen credit card.
- Swindling a former teacher out of £13,000.
- Running up a £34,000 bill with a private jet charter company.
Andrew Kerrigan, a specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly... We are determined to disrupt and deter fraudsters like Acklom." The case highlights the long-term pursuit of justice for victims of serious fraud, even when full financial restitution remains a distant prospect.
