Wirral fraudster Peter Daly jailed for setting up £2m publishing scam

A judge told Peter Daly that positive testimonials on his behalf were "in sharp contract to the picture painted by the evidence in this case which is of a cocky, arrogant, egotistical man who believed he was cleverer than everyone else and who could simply blag his way out of any situation."

Daly, 38, was also described by Judge Andrew Menary, QC, as "a determined fraudster - determined to carry on even after you realised that the police were interested in your dishonest schemes."

Liverpool Crown Court heard that he operated his "thoroughly dishonest scheme" involving selling advertising space allegedly connected with the emergency services for four years.

Judge Menary said that he had effectively run a number of companies whose only purposed was to sell worthless advertising space in non-existent magazines to unsuspecting customers.

"The method used in each case was the same - it was a highly organised structure designed to maximise income, discourage complaints and evade detection."

He operated from different premises, including Market Street, Birkenhead, using virtual office services in London to hide his location.

He paid staff in cash to cold call businesses using a script to place adverts in magazines allegedly to be distributed to thousands of homes supporting the work of the emergency services.

But they were not distributed in the way represented and apart from a few samples were never produced in real numbers.

Judge Menary said: "These copies were of poor quality, containing only generic articles that could have been written or sourced off the internet by a nine-year-old.

"Although individual customers only lost modest sums there were thousands of victims and each of them will have been infuriated at the realised that they have been duped in this way.

"This sort of activity also has the effect of making people more wary of supporting genuine good causes and could taint the reputation of the emergency services."

He said Daly, of Hilton Grove, West Kirby, tried to conceal his activities by using different companies, appointing people as nominal directors and moved money between bank accounts.

"I am perfectly satisfied that this enterprise and the businesses set up by you were intended to be used for the purposes of fraud from the very beginning."

He had been on trial along with two other men but nearing the end of the prosecution case Daley and co-accused Bernard Carey changed their pleas to guilty and the case was dropped against the third man.

Bernard Carey (pictured, above, leaving court) pleaded guilty to one offence of money laundering. He was given an eight month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work

Michael Hall, prosecuting, had told the court that Daly "was the brains behind this enterprise and for him it was a way of life."

Daly set up a number of different companies putting different "stooges" in control to distance himself and also frequently changed the names of the companies to help "throw the investigative authorities off the scent."

When police raided the Birkenhead premises they found what is commonly known as a 'boiler room', used solely for the high pressure sales of illicit or illegal products and services to victims.

Investigations began in 2012 after victims began complaining through Action Fraud and trading standards about being sold adverts in The Crime Safety Journal or The Fire Service Journal which were not published and circulated as claimed.

Daly, then living in Banks Road, West Kirby, was arrested on August 1, 2012 - but just three weeks later he opened two bank accounts to mop up outstanding cheques and set up new businesses despite being disqualified from being a company director for nine years in 2014.

In September 2014, he actually began paying for magazines to be printed - but only after the Radio 4 programme You and Yours featured an article on two of his new magazines and mis-selling of advertising in them allegedly by a police press office.

Daly changed his pleas to guilty to six fraud offences between October 2011 and November 2015 and two of money laundering.

Bernard Carey, 36, of Ringwood, Prenton, changed his plea to guilty to one offence of money laundering.

Daly had been remanded in custody since changing his plea to guilty a fortnight ago and his lawyer Jonathan McIlveen, said that while may "have appeared cocksure" during the trial he is "a different character after being incarcerated for the first time.

"He now presents an individual who is contrite. Character references refer to him as a loving son, a good friend and in a stable relationship.

"He accepts the inevitable custodial sentence and accepts it will be significant."

Mr McIlveen said that Daly has started up a legitimate business creating and designing websites and wants to return to this when released.

Unshaven Daley, wearing a blue t-shirt with a jumper wrapped around his waist, looked crest-fallen as he was led away to the cells to start his sentence.

He was disqualified from being a company director for 12 years.

Daniel Jones, defending Carey, said that he had been receiving just £50 a week for his involvement.

He has no previous convictions and poses a low risk of re-offending.

He has a young child and is working on a zero hours contract for a lift company, he added.

Judge Menary sentenced him to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 150 hours unpaid work.

He allowed his friend Daly to use his bank account, initially innocently, and £325,000 went through it, although only £180,000 in the period when he had become suspicious.

The third man who had been on trial, David Jukes, 44, of Slessor Avenue, Newton, West Kirby, who had been involved with one of Daly's later companies, denied two charges of fraud and money laundering and a formal not guilty verdict was recorded by the judge today after the prosecution offered no further evidence.