Edinburgh Conman Jailed For 'Heartless Crime of Dishonesty'
An Edinburgh man who conned a terminally-ill friend and neighbour out of almost half a million pounds has been jailed for five years. Passing sentence, Sheriff Michael O'Grady QC, told 54-year-old Keith Cameron he seen a meaner and more heartless crime of dishonesty. Cameron was previously found guilty of scamming £476,874 from Jonathan Speirs by fraud between October 1, 2009, and September 14, 2012. They also returned a unanimous guilty verdict on a charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act of being in possession of and using criminal property - the money he had obtained by the fraud. Mr Speirs, a renowned lighting design architect, died of stomach cancer in 2012 aged 54. The jury heard that Mr Speirs had been anxious to ensure the financial future of his wife, Elizabeth, and their two daughters. Cameron persuaded him to invest in Chase Telecom Ltd, a company he said he had set up to obtain a lucrative contract to supply telecom services to companies. He then claimed that other investors had invested millions of pounds into the company and that Mr Speirs could expect to receive £2m within two years. Cameron sent out false documents to show the company was trading well and producing dividends. To keep up the pretence, he sent Mr Speirs three payments totalling £75,935 as dividends, when it was, in fact, Mr Speirs own money. During the trial, Fiscal Depute, Gerard Drugan, described Cameron as "a Walter Mitty character" who had spent "astronomical amounts of money". His home in the upmarket Trinity area of the city was valued at over £1m with a monthly mortgage of £4000, his children went to a fee-paying school, holidays were spent in luxury villas in Portugal, he bought cars for his wife and a daughter, he bought expensive Swiss watches and dined in the best restaurants. After finishing school, one of his daughters went to the Fame Academy in New York and stayed in a flat near the Empire State Building. As well as Mr Speirs' money, Cameron borrowed cash from his parents, neighbours and finance companies, such as Wonga, to support his lavish lifestyle. He has been declared bankrupt. Cameron's crime has left 58-year old Mrs Speirs, who has recently received radiation treatment for breast cancer, and her daughters, in financial straights and she is being forced to sell the family home.