Man jailed for Isle of Man medicinal cannabis licence fraud

Craig Carrol altered his passport details and falsified bank statements

A man who fraudulently applied for a licence to produce medicinal cannabis products on the Isle of Man has been jailed for four years.

Craig Carrol, 40, used fake details and falsified bank statements to hide his previous convictions in Scotland.

The court heard he submitted a business plan for the scheme in 2021 indicating profits of £2.2m for the venture.

The fraud came to light when it was found his passport had been altered.

Douglas Courthouse heard Carrol, of Harcroft Meadow in Douglas, had visited the the Gambling Supervision Commission (GCS) public counter several times in May 2021 to ask questions about making an application.

In July he submitted the forms along with a business plan on behalf of a company called Cannamann, which listed him as a director and his partner as the sole shareholder.

When processing the application, staff discovered the copy of his passport he had provided had been altered to change his middle name and date of birth.

Bank statements showing a balance of between £42,000 and £54,000 were also found to have been falsified, with the account actually holding between £2 and £102.

As a result, the application was halted and the police were called.

'Embarrassment'

In August, Carrol attended the GSC office and signed a document stating all the information he had previously provided was true.

He was unaware the false information had been discovered.

The investigation also found he had also changed his details on the electoral register to an address in Ramsey where he did not live to hide his true identity, and forged his partner's signature on the application.

His defence advocate argued he had "panicked" after finding out his application could be turned down because of his previous convictions and had only used "Tipp-Ex and a photocopier" to change the documents.

However, prosecutors argued it was a sophisticated and sustained fraud.

He previously pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by misrepresentation and two counts of making an article for use in fraud.

Deemster Graeme Cook said the "embarrassment" caused by the fraudulent application if it had been successful could have damaged the industry the government was trying to create.

Jailing Carrol, he said he was handing down a "deterrent sentence" so that nobody else would attempt to falsify licence applications in the future.