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Air crash ‘victim’ in £1M fraud
2/ 5/2008
A WOMAN who lost six members of her family in an air disaster has been convicted of a million-pound fraud.
Deborah Clarkson, 45, was left devastated as a teenager when her mum, dad, brother and grandma died when their holiday plane crashed in Tenerife in 1980, along with her grandma’s brother and his wife.
She later went on to set up a modelling agency and ran The Designer Team for Hair in Water Street, Accrington, while living at Granville Gardens in the town.
But last week she appeared in the dock at Preston Crown Court when she was convicted of two charges of obtaining services by deception.
The court heard she fraudulently obtained almost £1M in mortgages to buy plush seaside homes for herself and husband Mark, a former Accrington businessman and undischarged bankrupt.
Clarkson, now of Clifton Drive, Lytham, told the Halifax Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland that she earned £250,000 a year and had been running a property investment firm for 20 years.
In fact she was a housewife who stayed at home to care for her children.
She applied for remortgages of £600,000 and £304,000 for two houses in Clifton Drive and West Beach, Lytham, in 2003, yet she filled out income tax returns stating her earnings were £4,000 in 2004 and £5,500 in 2005.
Throughout the trial the jury heard the family enjoyed a flamboyant lifestyle, running a Rolls Royce car with personalised number plate as well as a Mercedes Benz sports car.
Clarkson told the court she had not studied the legal forms before signing them, saying their financial affairs were dealt with by her husband.
She was convicted by a 10-2 majority on both counts and the case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports.
Her husband Mark, who formerly owned Clarkson’s Tyres on Church Street, Accrington, and Machine Fabricators in Clayton-le-Moors, along with several other companies, was declared bankrupt in 1999.
l Clarkson, nee McNichol, was just 18 when the Dan Air jet crashed into a mountain in Tenerife, claiming 146 lives.
They included her dad, former Accrington Stanley soccer star Bob McNichol, her mum Marjorie and her nine-year-old brother Robert, who lived in Blackburn Road, Oswaldtwistle.
With them were Marjorie’s mother, Mrs Anne Kirkham, 71, and her brother and sister-in-law, Fred and Margaret Threlfall.
Mrs Kirkham was the widow of Fred Kirkham, who had founded the family firm Kirkham’s Coaches.
Deborah, then known as Debbie, had stayed at home while the family jetted off for an 11-day holiday. She later inherited over £28,000.
Most recent 2 of 2 user comments
2/05/2008 at 11:37
Got an opinion you want to share?Should less emphasis be placed on the results of tests and more emphasis on general education for children?
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