Fraudster 'Lord of Fraud' Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Offenses

Hugh Rodley, a 79-year-old man previously convicted of large-scale financial fraud and dubbed the 'Lord of Fraud,' has pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing indecent images of children. The pleas were entered at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court.

Rodley was arrested in December for unrelated alleged offenses, during which investigators discovered a Hewlett Packard laptop. The device contained 198 indecent images of children, including 19 classified as Category A, 12 as Category B, and 167 as Category C. Further examination revealed that Rodley had searched for child sexual abuse content at least 806 times on the laptop.

Rodley, whose self-styled aristocratic title was based on a manorial title, has a history of significant fraud convictions. In 2009, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to steal £229 million from a Japanese bank, an incident described as one of the largest cybercrimes of its kind. In 2012, he received an additional seven-year sentence for defrauding over 700 pensioners out of £6 million by promising them 'rich rewards' from investments.

He was further sentenced in June 2016 to seven years for failing to repay more than £1.2 million. He was released on bail after his initial arrest by the National Crime Agency (NCA) at his home in Stoke Orchard.

Approximately one month later, Rodley was re-arrested when he claimed he did not possess a mobile phone. A search of his property uncovered an iPhone containing 295 additional indecent images of children, with five classified as Category A, 13 as Category B, and 277 as Category C. Investigations showed he had used the phone to search for child sexual abuse content shortly after being released on bail.

Rodley, born Brian McGough in Ireland in 1947, is scheduled to return to court for sentencing in November and has been released on bail.

Andy Lawton, senior investigating officer for the NCA, stated that protecting children from sexual abuse is a priority and that Rodley's actions contribute to the exploitation of vulnerable children. He emphasized that each image represents a child exploited for the gratification of offenders.

Rodley's earlier scams involved targeting the elderly by selling them worthless shares. His group reportedly compiled 'sucker lists' of potential victims and spent their illicit gains on luxury vehicles. One elderly victim lost over £800,000. The victims were led to believe they would achieve substantial profits when the companies were floated on the Alternative Investment Market, but often lost contact with the fraudsters after signing agreements. A 'floor book' used in the scam contained over 1,000 investor names, with 600 individuals having provided funds. The attempt to defraud Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in 2004 was unsuccessful due to the input of incorrect codes.