Three jailed for £10m Ponzi scheme fraud

John Hirst and Richard Pollett were sentenced at Bradford Crown Court today. Along with his wife, also found guilty, Hirst used the proceeds from redundancy payments from former Yorkshire miners in the 1990s to pay for lavish holidays and honeymoon celebrations. Judge Jonathan Durham-Hall QC said those targeted by the pair were mainly ordinary, hard-working people who put their pensions and savings into the scheme after being promised huge returns and a risk-free guarantee. Many were elderly or divorced and all were decent and trusting, he said. According to the BBC, Judge Durha...