Conman who stole £880k from Herefordshire farmers jailed

A “despicable” conman who defrauded Herefordshire victims out of more than £1 million has been jailed for six years and 10 months.

Phillip Davies was able to trick one farmer and his wife out of more than £800,000 as he convinced them to invest in a cut flower business to supply supermarkets including Morrisons, M&S and Aldi.

On Thursday (October 22), Worcester Crown Court heard the whole enterprise was a lie, concocted by Davies to pay off drug debts to an organised crime group in Liverpool.

He then convinced a second victim to invest £48,000 in fake shares, before a third was tricked into a £22,000 fake hedge fund scheme and a fourth handed over £64,000 in fictitious shares and made-up legal fees.

Prosecution barrister James Dunstan said the most serious and complex case saw the fourth-generation farmer fall for Davies’s “meticulously” planned scheme as he was in dire need of a cash injection for the business.

Having taken loans from friends, secured bridging loans and handed over savings, the North Herefordshire couple were swindled out of a total of £880,164 by Davies.

The second victim, who lost £48,153.12 in total, was persuaded into thinking Davies was a financial advisor who could invest his pensions and savings.

Mr Dunstan said the third victim lost more than £22,000 to Davies, while the fourth lost more than £48,000 having been convinced Davies could help with long-standing probate issues, as well as buying shares.

Defence barrister Philip Tully told the court Davies, 52, had spent five years on bail waiting to come to court – but the judge said it was not the best point as he could have come clean.

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He argued Davies was not the main beneficiary of the money as he was in debt to an organised crime group in Liverpool – partly through a dodgy property sale, and partly through his own drink and drug addiction.

He told the court Davies was remorseful and was not living a lavish lifestyle during the offending – but admitted some fraud was carried out while on police bail.

Having heard Davies was a “loving and carrying father to his children” and how he had turned his life around since being caught, the court heard he also had insight into the “despicable” crimes.

Judge Martin Jackson said Davies, of Gladstone Court in Hawarden, Flintshire, saw the first victims as cash cows that could be remorselessly milked for as long as he wanted.

After he pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false representation between 2016 and 2019, the judge jailed him for a total of six years and 10 months.

A proceeds of crime application will be heard in due course.