Credit card conman is jailed for £100,000 13-month crime spree after he stole IDs by intercepting people’s post to fund his lavish lifestyle
- Kevin Castle, 56, swindled £100,000 by stealing people’s identities from post
- He used the cash to fund lavish lifestyle of restaurants and designer clothes
- Castle had nicknames the ‘millionaire shoplifter’ and the ‘Casanova conman’
A serial conman who swindled £100,000 by stealing people’s identities by intercepting their post has been jailed.
Kevin Castle, 56, used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle of luxury restaurants and designer clothes.
Castle who was previously nicknamed the ‘millionaire shoplifter’ and the ‘Casanova conman’ after other cons this time went on a year-long crime spree across Nottinghamshire.
A court heard the notorious fraudster would break into people’s letterboxes and steal their post before creating credit cards in their names.
He would then withdraw money to fund his own lifestyle, which previously saw him wearing designer clothes, dining in fancy restaurants and renting a luxury house with stables and 11 acres.
During his latest 13 month scam, Castle would target people who lived in rural areas and had isolated letterboxes away from their front door.
He took out credit cards in his victim’s names before using them to buy everyday items such as toys, decorating supplies and clothes.
In an attempt to avoid being caught he would drive away from properties with his boot up to prevent anyone catching sight of his number plate.
Kevin Castle, 56, swindled £100,000 by stealing people’s identities from their mailboxes
Cathryn Russell leaves Exeter Crown court after admitting 4 counts of fraud, she was sentenced with 120 hours of community service April 4, 2012, in a previous con with partner Castle
Castle – seen here in two early mugshots – has a long rapsheet and committed many cons
But he was rumbled when his victims began to receive texts from credit card companies and he was spotted driving off after his boot slammed shut.
Police estimate Castle may have targeted over 130 victims over a year, from July 2020 until August last year costing various banks a total of £100,000.
Castle, of Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts., went on to plead guilty to nine counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft.
He was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday.
Castle, who has 19 previous convictions for 98 offences, previously hit the headlines for a near-identical scam in Devon in 2012 for which he was jailed for four years.
And in 2008 he was also wanted by three police forces for defrauding gullible women to fund a life of luxury by posing as a stockbroker or property developer.
He was nicknamed the ‘Casanova Conman’ as he wore designer clothes including Versace and Armani, and dined at restaurants like The Ivy in London.
Before that, police dubbed him the ‘millionaire shoplifter’ as a refund scam in 2004 saw him able to spend £140,000 on renting a luxury flat in London’s Knightsbridge.
Kevin Castle in his 2014 police mugshot from one of his earlier con and crime sprees
Kevin Castle in an early police mugshot from date unknown for one of his earliest offences
Detective Sergeant Marc Lancaster, of Nottinghamshire Police’s fraud team, said after his latest conviction: ‘This whole operation run by Castle was targeted, pre-planned and calculated fraud committed against victims who had no idea he was using their identity to apply for credit cards.
‘He not only targeted one person but continued with his fraudulent behaviour for months and in an effort to evade being seen or traced would drive away quickly with his car boot open – showing just how planned his behaviour truly was.
‘This type of offending is extremely personal in nature and causes significant amounts of distress to the victims not just financially but emotionally, often leaving the victims feeling completely betrayed.
‘Thanks to the help of his victims, post office workers and our officers we were able to gain so much evidence to haul Castle up in front of the courts and I’m so pleased with the outcome that will see him now serve time behind bars for his actions.
‘Fraud can have a truly devastating impact on its victims and Nottinghamshire Police will not tolerate this kind of offending and I hope this case shows just how serious we take any reports of fraud made to us and how much work we put into a case to bring the offender to justice.’
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