Couple Ashley Singh, 39, and Sophie Brouillat, 20, from Bromley, south London, lived a life of luxury until the Metropolitan Police discovered where their money was coming from. Police said the couple targeted gym goers and maxed out their credit cards on expensive items.
They bought and sold expensive items, including high-tech products and designer equipment, and used the cash to buy bags, shoes, holidays, and pedigreed puppies. Although they were living a fairy-tale life, the victims had their money drained from their accounts and suffered huge losses.
Singh and Bruyere's lavish lifestyle came to an abrupt end when a local police officer noticed a pattern and alerted detectives specializing in economic crimes. A Lewisham-based team then used CCTV to track their vehicles, phones and faces in an attempt to link them to any crime, police reported.
Police said there were 18 reports of fraud in total, 14 of which were from the capital region, including one from Sussex, one from Hertfordshire and two from Cambridgeshire. (Also read: 'The bill is on us': When a British restaurant hosted a couple on their 50th wedding anniversary. Here's why)
Superintendent Luiz da Silva, of the Metropolitan Economic Crime Team, said in a police statement: “We cannot help but be moved by the devastating impact their ruthless actions have had on people. We are committed to arresting them. I hope that this will bring some relief to the victims.” We want to eradicate this crime and track down criminals who target the general public, so we encourage anyone who has had something stolen to get in touch. ”
He added: “We will now consider forfeiture of the proceeds of their crimes to help compensate those who have experienced this.”
