Man ordered to pay back just £10 after £1.9m fraud

Christopher Peach was jailed for five years after being convicted of committing cheque fraud worth £1.9m

A convicted fraudster has been ordered to pay back just £10 after defrauding almost £2m from businesses using invalid cheques.

Christopher Peach from Ellesmere tried to buy the hotel he was the manager of through the £1.9m fraud, but his attempt failed when his own cheque to solicitors bounced.

Peach was jailed for five years on 4 December and appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Thursday via video link to determine how much money he should pay back.

The 51-year-old was ordered to pay a nominal amount of £10, which the court said was typical when there were no assets to seize.

It means unless he makes that payment, along with a statutory victim surcharge, he will face more time in jail.

The 51-year-old had pleaded guilty to 18 counts of fraud by false representation and one count of money laundering.

At the time of the fraud, Peach was the manager of the Black Lion Hotel in Scotland Street, Ellesmere.

West Mercia Police said its investigation began in 2018 following suspicions that Peach had fraudulently submitted high-value cheques to multiple companies including stockbrokers, investment and money transfer firms.

The force said the cheques came from either closed accounts or accounts with insufficient funds.

Peach would lie about the source of his funds as he claimed a refund or carried out further transactions prior to the cheque being rejected, police said.

He also lied about bankruptcy by changing his name, allowing a loophole with due diligent checks, as he would continue to commit offences.

Det Con James Lees, from West Mercia Police's economic crime unit, described Peach as a "prolific fraudster" whose cheque fraud targeted businesses between October 2016 and November 2019.