Psychic fraud must pay £926

A fraudster who tricked small businesses out of nearly £74,000 by pretending to be a celebrity medium and psychic has been ordered to pay compensation of just £926.

Craig Shell was jailed for three years last November for deception, theft and fraud.

The court was told he pretended to have showbiz clients such as Michael Barrymore and had taken part in a TV programme called “Most Haunted”.

But the name-dropping by 22-year-old Craig Shell, of Comberton Road. Kidderminster, was a screen for him to obtain goods and services.

At a confiscation hearing at Worcester Crown Court yesterday, Mr Simon Davis, for the Crown, said benefit from Shell’s dishonesty had been calculated at £73,704.But his only assets, including a van, camera and mobile phones, were likely to raise only £926.

Judge Andrew Geddes made an order for this amount of compensation - to be paid within four months.

Mr Davis submitted individual claims for £2,500 and £3,305 compensation but the judge said a great many people had been defrauded and it would not be right to single out two.

In the initial hearing at Hereford, the court was told that Shell operated a year-long scam, often pretending to be a managing director or a clairvoyant. In fact, he had worked as a chef and a care assistant.