Judge Jane Miller QC told the conman, of Lille Barracks, Aldershot, at Winchester Crown Court (pictured) his offending had been systematic, calculated and despicable .
File images of Guardsmen, Tinder and Winchester Crown Court Pictures: PA A BRITISH Army guardsman scammed women out of tens of thousands of pounds – splurging the cash on a gambling addiction that was costing him up to £8,000 a month. “Sweetheart fraudster” Nathan Walker, 29, who served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, persuaded three women to part with £33,300 in loans or by paying for items like tickets and phone top-ups. The soldier’s victims told the court they’d been forced to take out loans to cover their loss. One woman said she couldn’t see herself ever owning a house because her savings and credit rating had been decimated by Walker. Another said she felt she’d let her son down by choosing to help a stranger rather than provide for her child.
“The operation was capable of producing industrial quantities for commercial use.”
The court hearing was told the units were divided with plants at different stages of growth.Picture: Dorset Police The court heard Bruci, of unknown address, pleaded guilty as a male worker who was coerced or intimidated or pressured into working at the cannabis farm. Aliaj, of no fixed abode, came to work there because he needed to pay off those who had lent him money when he came to the United Kingdom in the first place. “The fact is you both came to this country as illegal immigrants to make money,” said Recorder Gebb QC.
Dorset s largest ever cannabis farm discovered on industrial estate Pictures: Dorset Police THE largest cannabis factory ever discovered in Dorset was found by police on a Purbeck industrial estate – with more than 2,000 plants on the site. The operation at Sandford Lane Industrial Estate in Wareham had a potential crop yield of between £2.3million and £7.1million. A hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on January 29 was told the factory was organised and professional , with the capability of producing industrial quantities for commercial use . Police s attention was brought to the site after a member of the public, who believed a burglary was taking place, reported concerns about a suspicious vehicle coming to and from the units in December 2019.