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Agencies & People

Story of estate agent jailed for fraud to feature in TV crime series

Last year Roger Darnton pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud after stealing £100,000 from people in his home town of Guisborough where he ran his own agency.

Nigel Lewis

roger darnton

The shocking case of estate agent Roger Darnton who stole £110,000 from both an elderly widow and the estate of a deceased friend and who is currently serving a two-year sentence for his crimes is to feature in a TV series.

The agent, who was jailed in July last year after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud at Teeside, had run a well-known and eponymous estate agency in the Yorkshire town of Guisborough until the frauds were uncovered.

guisborough roger darntonDarnton (left) was a respected and trusted local businessman who helped raise money for local good causes, but he used the stolen money to pay off debts and buy antiques over a four-year period starting in 2012 as he experienced financial difficulties.

It is understood that Roger Darnton received a lesser sentence after he had sold his family home to pay back the money he had pocketed.

The story of his frauds is to feature on Ill Gotten Gains, a BBC1 documentary series that follows regional organised crime units and police forces as they track down criminals, fraudsters and seize their assets. It is in its third series and is presented by Angellica Bell and Rav Wilding (pictured, above).

In Darnton’s case, it will be Cleveland Police’s Economic Crime Unit which played a key role in investigating the estate agent’s fraudulent activities.

“We’re a small but dedicated team, and we work closely with colleagues from across the force; detectives, analysts and intelligence officers as well as our partners in financial, legal and other sectors – all with the shared goal of identifying, targeting and dealing with those who persist in fraud and other economic crimes,” says its leader Sgt Andy King.

January 29, 2020

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