‘Morally devoid’ financial adviser is jailed for eight years 

A ‘morally devoid’ fraudster who conned his victim’s out of £4.5million of life savings has been jailed for eight years.

Neil Bartlett spent the money he scammed from his victims on an extravagant lifestyle including foreign travel, escorts and gambling.

The 53-year-old had posed as a legitimate financial adviser but had preyed on old ladies, friends he had known for decades and even his own family in order to get hold of their hard earned savings.

Bartlett was jailed for eight years at Liverpool Crown Court today, December 21, after pleading guilty to 14 counts of fraud, with another 14 counts taken into consideration.

The court heard that this year, Merseyside Police received a number of reports from Action Fraud (the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre) about Bartlett’s business practices and a fraud investigation commenced.

One victim told the court: ‘He has no conscience, he is morally devoid. I have witnessed and previously commented on his chameleon like nature even before we became aware of his duplicitous criminal behaviour. If he is showing signs of remorse, take it from me, it is an act.’

Another victim said: ‘He has taken £450,000 from myself, my partner, my parents and my other best friend. We have all worked hard all our lives to accumulate that money and it was our future security.

‘He then blew the lot on prostitutes, escorts and expensive holidays. I do not want to know or see him ever again and hope he gets the maximum sentence possible while we try to pick up the pieces and plan for our uncertain future.’

Detectives found Bartlett from Ainsdale, Merseyside, had been ‘investing’ people’s money, pensions and often life savings into what they thought was a safe investment account with interest.

However, Bartlett had created a sole trader account with the same name as the company he worked for and paid himself the money.

Neil Bartlett was jailed for eight years at Liverpool Crown Court (pictured above)

The fraud is said to have started in 2013 and continued for five years, ensnaring 24 victims.

Earlier this year Bartlett took more than £740,000 from friends he had known since pre-school, together with his friend’s parents and his own family.

He also took advantage of being the Power of Attorney for a vulnerable elderly victim and defrauded her. 

Neil Bartlett was arrested when he flew into Manchester Airport (pictured above)

The court heard he left the UK this year for Russia, where he was living the high-life in top hotels, enjoying foreign travel and gambling on the stock market.

He was arrested after flying back into Manchester Airport on Tuesday, November 27.

Detective Sergeant Christopher Hawitt, of Merseyside Police, said: ‘It is never nice for anyone to fall victim to fraud but this was a particularly unpleasant case for Bartlett’s victims as some of them had known him for over 50 years and so trusted him with, in some cases, their life savings.

‘Bartlett thought of nobody but himself and furnishing his excessive lifestyle with the money he took from those who trusted him most.

‘They are now forced to pick up the pieces of their lives but many have been left without the financial nest egg which was rightfully theirs and which they worked for many years to earn. In fact some of his victims, who have worked all their lives, are faced with the prospect of having to return to work.

‘I would like to reassure the public that reports of any kind of fraud are taken extremely seriously and will be thoroughly investigated.

‘If someone believes they have fallen victim to any kind of fraud then I would urge them to contact Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 101 or the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.’