WCYT

HE called himself 'Lord' Edward Davenport, but this self-styled aristocrat turned out to be nothing more than a scumbag conman.
Daveport, whose lavish 110 roomed West London home was used in scenes from Oscar-winning film The King's Speech and for a less mainstream "porn disco", conned the rich and the famous into believing he was a toff.
But Davenport, 45, was the mastermind of an "advanced fee fraud" scheme in which scores of businesses were ripped off for millions of pounds and the law has finally caught up with him.
The Judge at Southwark Crown Court brought bhis lavish lifestyle to an end when he sent him to prison for seven years and his lieutenant Peter Riley, 64, of The Old Bakery, Brentwood, for eight years.
They were convicted of a single count of conspiracy to defraud following a three-month trial along with Borge Andersen, 66, of Roland Gardens, South Kensington, south west London.
Andersen was jailed for 39 months at the same court on September 12. He was also disqualified from being a company director for seven years.
The five-storey house, the former Sierra Leonne High Commission, was also used for film shoots, a fashion show, a wedding, a nightclub and masquerade ball. His swimming pool was reportedly filled with Cognac so revellers could row through it.
But it was the Serious Fraud Office which arrested him in December 2009 after gathering evidence that Gresham had promised to fund loans worth £500 million.
The fraudsters made their money by fooling clients into paying tens of thousands of pounds for due diligence and deposit fees. Across the world businesses were collapsing after entering into big deals on the false promise from Gresham that their money was only days away.
In Austria, two victims had contractors waiting to start work with diggers after Gresham promised to find 32 million euro (£27.4 million) to fund a leisure resort. No money materialised.
In India a businessman from Bellary Steels paid Gresham £285,000 to finance 183 million euro (£156.9 million). Nothing materialised and the victim "suffered crippling losses" of £825,000 and now owes 11 million euro (£9.4 million), the court heard. There were at least 51 victims.
Davenport, known as "Fast Eddie" mixed with celebrities including Simon Cowell, actor Hugh Grant, Sarah Ferguson and Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke, but kept his distance from the legwork and operated under a false name, James Stewart or Stuart.
He launched the fraud, remained in overall charge and did not "leave many footprints in the snow for himself", not wanting to risk his champagne lifestyle which included parties with the stars and a property in Monaco.
Davenport, supported in court by his girlfriend and 78-year-old mother, was happy to give orders to Riley, the son of an alcoholic schoolteacher.
According to internal Gresham accounts created by Riley, Andersen received £159,564 from the fraud, Riley £695,407, and Davenport £773,000. The court heard that £349,025 has vanished from the accounts and cannot be traced.
Davenport and Riley were banned from being company directors for 10 years after their release and a confiscation hearing was listed for May 2 next year.
The case can be reported today after the final defendant, David Horsfall, of Deanery Road, Godalming, Surrey, admitted fraud by false representation.
David McHugh, 53, of Birch Avenue, Warrington, Cheshire, admitted conspiracy to defraud by producing false company accounts.
And Richard Stephens, 65, formerly Richard Kirkup, of Ennerdale Road, Sheffield, admitted the same charge - he had created the stationery template Gresham used for sending correspondence.
The men will be sentenced on November 10.
The self-styled lord was a regular on the international social scene - a guest of the great and good at countless swanky parties and launches. On his website he compares bling watches with American rapper 50Cent, wraps his arm around the shoulders of Prince Albert of Monaco at a world music awards, poses with former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell at a Merrill Lynch celebrity lunch and smiles with actor Jude Law inside Davenport's home, hosting a 30th birthday party for Jessica Rothschild.
The 45-year-old has a jet, "beautiful homes and a collection of sports cars which would make any man jealous - including a Ferrari 360 Spider, an Aston Martin Virage Volante, a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a Lamborghini", his website says.
Davenport, with a home in Monaco and reportedly worth more than £100 million, made his money early by launching "Gatecrasher Balls" for rich kids.
His website says he moved on to owning and running some of London's best nightclubs, including SW1 on Victoria Street which is now Pacha.
He describes himself as "one of London's most flamboyant and best-known entrepreneurs as well as a true English gentleman from an established British family".
Next May, only child Davenport, whose father died in 2002 and who was supported in court by his 78-year-old mother, faces another court battle when the authorities will try to confiscate his money.
But in the end Davenport was none of the things he claimed to be – he was just a rat like the bogus builders and doorstep conmen who rip off the elderly every day.