Bloxham couple speak out after losing £200k to fraudster

Tess and Melvin Berryman's lives were turned upside down when they were conned by an employee

"We will never truly get over it. We will never ever forget what it felt like."

Tess Berryman is speaking for the first time since her family was hit by the consequences of a £30m mortgage fraud.

Her husband Melvin was the managing partner at Wilmett's solicitors in Reading and Maidenhead when one of the company's employees, Jonathan Gilbert, conned them.

The Berrymans personally lost more than £200,000.

Gilbert has since apologised and served six years of a 12-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to 21 counts of conspiracy to defraud.

He was jailed aged 45 in 2014, along with former Virgin Atlantic pilot Mark Entwistle.

Entwistle (left) and solicitor Jonathan Gilbert worked together in the scam

Entwistle recruited solicitors and accountants to approve his loan applications while he pretended to be a property developer based in Windsor.

He and Gilbert swindled RBS and Northern Rock out of more than £6m.

As well as working for Entwistle, Gilbert also acted as the solicitor for the lenders.

Having served his sentence, during which he did a masters degree in counter-fraud and counter-corruption, he now does voluntary work with the police.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4 earlier this year, Gilbert said he would never be able to forgive himself.

'Smugness'

But hearing about his new life made Mr and Mrs Berryman, from Bloxham, Oxfordshire, decide to tell their side of the story.

Mrs Berryman said: "He kept referring to his victims and everybody was nameless.

"I knew he had been able to start his new life again... that he had another chance and most of us did not have another chance, really."

She added: "There was a sort of smugness that came across. I felt completely uncomfortable with that."

'Weak words'

The couple told the BBC's You and Yours that the past years had been "unspeakably difficult".

They have not spoken to Gilbert since the day the fraud was discovered in 2009.

Their firm ceased trading and as managing partner Mr Berryman had to give the news to his 70 employees.

"That was more devastating," he said.

"Finances are very important, but we were talking about people's lives, just before Christmas, and the upset caused - you can't imagine."

Mr Berryman, 75, who had to work until he was 72 due to his financial situation, said Gilbert "could have stopped all of that".

Speaking on the programme after hearing the couple's interview, Gilbert apologised.

"I feel awful because I was the architect of it. It was very difficult listening because of that," he said.

He added: "I am so very sorry. I'd like to apologise to Melvin and Tess... and I would like to apologise to every member of staff that was so badly impacted by my actions.

"If I could turn back the clock I would. I can't. They may be very weak words from a convicted fraudster but yes I am sorry."