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OFT bans former agent after notorious court case

30 March 2009
Written by Rosalind Renshaw

The OFT has banned a former estate agent from the industry, five months after he was sent to jail for ten years.

Mark Howe, 43, of Beech and Howe Estate Agency in Driffield, East Yorkshire, was convicted of offences involving fraud and dishonesty.

He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court last October on 13 counts of theft, procuring execution of a valuable security by deception, obtaining property by deception, and three counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception.

Howe was found guilty of conning elderly people into giving him their life savings. The court heard he had stolen more than £790,000 between 1998 and 2007 to fund his own life of luxury.

His alleged victims include his former mother-in-law and a couple in their seventies, Thomas and Dorothy Verity, who had to sell their home to pay off a mortgage with Northern Rock that they knew nothing about.

Thomas Verity wept in court as he said: “I have worked hard all my life for 60 years and that man has taken it all.”
 
Judge Paul Hoffman told Howe he had blighted lives and said: “In over 40 years I’ve come across many ruthless fraudsters, but few could have measured up to you in terms of sheer criminality, breach of trust, ruthlessness, harm done and total lack of remorse.”

Comments

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    Surely the fact that Howe has been caught and prosecuted is an argument against licensing? How much “control” do we need? Potentially in a serious fraud case we are answerable to our clients and applicants through the courts either in a criminal/police case or civil damages basis? Why do we need an ombudsman, OFT, trading standards and potentially licensing authority as well? I can see a strong argument for ONE watchdog but four in addition to the police seems ridiculously excessive. Leave it to trading standards who at least get out on the streets. They might even be the best people to licence us if it is really felt it is needed. Scrap all the others. Think of the money it would save in salaries, rent etc.

    • 30 March 2009 14:07 PM
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    Agree with Jim - This guy was a crook and saw an opportunity! I appreciate he is an EA but like Jim says it did not really matter what his job was. What if he ran a property portal company, you know the kind who say we are cheaper than others and better? should they be regulated?........sorry not the best example!!!!!!

    • 30 March 2009 14:06 PM
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    Mr Brightmove does have a point. What is required is trust and belief in Agents that they run a tight ship, banning someone 5 months AFTER they have have been convicted is a little lackadaisical in my book. If you want respect in this market you need to earn it, and ensuring due process were in place at his business might well have caught this criminal earlier in his devious career.
    I would also suggest it some what dim to suggest thhat a road sweeper might be given the same opportunity to commit fraud to that of an estate agent who would appear to have mortgaged another person's property.

    • 30 March 2009 12:48 PM
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    and just how does that help in cases like this then, Mr Brightspark, sorry Brightmove???.. He has been banned now, end of story.

    • 30 March 2009 11:59 AM
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    Mr B, sorry to pull you up here, but where in the above article does it state that any of the fraud was related to Estate Agency. Not even the OFT have claimed this. Mark Howe was an estate agent who comitted fraud. He could equally have been a road sweeper. Should we regulate all roadsweepers?

    • 30 March 2009 11:34 AM
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    Furthering the case for licensing and more regulation of Estate Agents in the UK.

    • 30 March 2009 11:22 AM
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