Thames Valley Police (TVP) have charged Phillip Henry Martin, of Church Lane, Little Linford, Bucks with the following offences:

Nine counts contrary to sections 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.

One count contrary to sections 1 and 6 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1984 .

Two counts contrary to section 993 of the Companies Act 2006.

According to TVP these above charges relate to ‘incidents’ between March 2009 and December 2010 when a number of people reported that they had invested in a property company and had given financial deposits for a portfolio of properties. It was reported to the police that these investors had received neither the portfolio nor a refund of their deposits when demanded.

Long term readers of PIN magazine will be aware from an extended news report that was published in the January 2011 edition that Phillip Martin had declared bankruptcy in December 2010 following the collapse of his Rapid Property Group of companies.

Phillip Martin was also a director of a lettings agency in Sheffield (Let to Live Ltd.) which ceased trading in early 2011 amidst allegations of rents paid by tenants to the agency not being paid to landlords and of tenants not receiving a return of lodged deposits.  

Mr Martin was discharged from bankruptcy in 2012 however Thames Valley Police state that between July 2013 and February 2014 a series of false representations were made to solicitors representing a mortgage company and also to the County Court regarding a property in Little Linford.

Phillip Martin was first arrested on suspicion of fraud on 9 July 2013. He was due to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court 12 December.