'Gordon Gekko' fraudsters jailed over £7m share scam

Laura Miller
clock

Two men have been jailed over a boiler room scam in which they creamed off 80% of the invested funds.

David Arthur Vidgeon and Rahul Natwar Patel were each sentenced to seven years in prison at Ipswich Crown Court today. They were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud investors, many of whom were retired and elderly, via an illegal high pressure, "boiler room" share-pushing operation from call centres in Spain. Between April 2003 and November 2006, around 1,250 investors in the UK were persuaded to buy over £7m worth of valueless shares. The fraudsters siphoned off around 80% of the invested funds. Boiler rooms are call centres, concerned in the selling of shares on behalf of ...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Regulation

Court sets trial date in illegal financial promotions case

Court sets trial date in illegal financial promotions case

Lucy Beck pleads not guilty

Sophia Panayi
clock 31 July 2026 • 1 min read
FCA flags weak customer outcome focus in firms' monitoring frameworks

FCA flags weak customer outcome focus in firms' monitoring frameworks

Consumer Duty review found inconsistent governance and oversight

Sophia Panayi
clock 27 July 2026 • 2 min read
Open finance could pose 'existential threat' to advice market

Open finance could pose 'existential threat' to advice market

Consumer Duty Alliance tech forum attendees hear

Sophia Panayi
clock 23 July 2026 • 3 min read