Gang jailed in Britain over fraud, which could be linked to Daesh
Eight Londoners have been imprisoned over defrauding UK pensioners of more than one million pounds, some of which was spent to defray expenses of trips from UK to Syria.
Engaged in a phone scam, the men were jailed Wednesday with the gang leader, Makzhumi Abukar, given seven years and four months, state-funded BBC reported Wednesday.
Celebrity R&B singer Nathan Fagan-Gayle is also among the members.
According to Judge Anuja Dhir from the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, they have shown no sign of remorse despite the "devastating and lasting impact" their measures have had on the victims, including a 94-year-old who lost 130,000 pounds.
"I was struck by their dignity and their courage when giving evidence about a matter that was so obviously painful for them to relive," said the judge, praising Scotland Yard's counter terrorism command for bringing them in.
The sentences for the rest of gang members ranged from around six years to 16 months, with Fagan-Gayle given a 20-months term for money laundering.
Active in southern England, the men called elderly citizens pretending to be police officers.
They, then, warned their victims over suspected fraud at their banks and instructed them to transfer money to other accounts for “safe keeping.”
Gang members called at the victims’ houses to receive the money as "couriers" in some other cases.
According to the Metropolitan Police, some 140 frauds and attempted frauds were discovered through investigations, which also revealed that 5,695 calls had been made to 3,774 different numbers through 16 telephone lines.
"They callously and systematically defrauded elderly people of their life savings,” said Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met's counter-terrorism command. "Had we not arrested them and put them before the courts, the group may have gone on to defraud many more victims across the UK."
Six months of rallies in London: Thousands call for Gaza ceasefire
Pro-Palestine activists paint UK Labour Party office red
20% of teachers in England physically assaulted by students in 2023: Study
VIDEO | Leader meets workers on Labor Week
French police called in to break up US-style pro-Palestinian student demo
VIDEO | US continues starving Syrians, stealing their resources
Yemeni forces strike Israeli ship, Port of Eilat in solidarity with Gaza
Columbia, Yale students bent on ending US support for Israeli genocide
VIDEO | Genocide in Gaza
Iran calls on BRICS to play role in stopping Israeli crimes
President Raeisi’s historic visit opens new chapter in Iran-Pakistan ties
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
