Related Articles
A five-bedroom mansion once owned by a scammer who defrauded Royal Mail of £70m is for sale after being seized.
Hadley Grange, which has a guide price of £2.75m, is the former home of Narinder Sandhu, 62, who bought it using the proceeds he made from scamming the company for a decade.
The lavish property is in Jordans village, near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and features a detached pool house, a home cinema, gym, steam room and triple garage.
Sandhu, who also bought a Bentley and Rolls-Royce with the money he made illegally, used to live in the mansion with his family.
He was sentenced to four years in February, having used his business to pocket millions of pounds in the fraud.
Southwark Crown Court was told Sandhu was the “architect” of the fraud, which involved the under-declaration of mail that was posted through the network of logistics companies in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire from 2005.
The cinema room. Pic: Landwood Property Auctions/PA
The pool house. Pic: Landwood Property Auctions/PA
His declared taxable income was about £1m per year towards the end of the period the fraud was running, the court was told.
Prosecutor Ellis Sareen said: “In this case, we will be talking about literal tonnes of mail – thousands of items.
“This has cost Royal Mail about £70m or a little more. [The defendants] have not pocketed £70m, but they have benefited.”
Interior image of Hadley Grange. Pic: Landwood Property Auctions/PA
Narinder Sandhu’s brother Parmjeet Sandhu, 56, pleaded guilty to a charge of obtaining services dishonestly. He did not become as wealthy, but still made “a lot of money”, Mr Sareen added.
By 2016, so many companies were being operated by the group they were “starting to forget” where they were located, Mr Sareen said.
Pic: Landwood Property Auctions/PA
Pic: Landwood Property Auctions/PA
The fraud was discovered only when Royal Mail customers said competitors were offering unrealistic rates.
When investigators became suspicious about the group’s companies, all their mail was diverted and checked, at which point it was found their postings had been “significantly underdeclared,” the prosecutor said.
James Ashworth, partner at Landwood Property Auctions, which is selling the mansion, said: “With Jordans being such a desirable area we are sure to see lots of interest.
“The property sits on a south-facing plot, extending to almost an acre with open fields beyond the boundary and it offers a huge amount of potential for any buyer, whether it be a little TLC and refurbishment of what is there, or perhaps extension and remodelling to put their own stamp on it, or a replacement dwelling.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
“With quick access to London in under an hour via the M40 and A4 motorways, this opportunity is simply unmissable.”
Source link
