Serial fraudster jailed for conning mobile home owners

Nevada Smith defrauded his victims of more than half-a-million pounds at three sites his family owned, including Nevada Park in Melton Mowbray.

His primary focus was residents who wanted to downsize their homes – he would sell his victim’s mobile home despite not actually owning it.

On some occasions, he part-exchanged the victim’s property for a mobile home but did not hand over the proceeds from the sale.

Smith also bought mobile homes from victims and did not pay the money they were entitled to – even after selling the home on to another buyer.

He enlisted the help of Peter Tomlinson – an associate of the family – to act as a would-be buyer to help convince victims to sell.

When victims began to express their concern, Smith would intimidate them, or they would be offered cash as part of an ongoing repayment.

However, in some cases, these amounts would be insignificant when compared to the overall sum lost – sometimes just a few thousand pounds.

He would also enter their mobile homes without asking or shout through the letterbox to make them feel scared.

Smith, whose family also owned Palma Park in Loughborough and Lyndhurst Estate in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire, spent the money he made on expensive cars and designer clothes and handbags.

Smith (46), of Hogsthorpe Road in Mumby, Lincolnshire, was charged with 16 counts of fraud by false representation, which he admitted when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court last month. The charges related to 14 separate victims.

On Friday, at the same court, he was sentenced to 91 months’ imprisonment.

One of his victims commented after the hearing: “I felt extremely vulnerable and powerless with Nevada's constant harassing and intimidating behaviour, feeling frightened and at times terrified, actually fearing for my life when Nevada had threatened me with his fist under my chin.

“He thought he could come inside my park home uninvited whenever he chose to, banging on my window in anger when the door was locked.

"I was 72 years of age at the time and suffered such emotional stress, not being able to sleep and feeling constantly on edge.

“It affected me deeply. I felt upset and anxious, completely helpless as I had no control over what was happening.”

Financial investigators from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) began carrying out enquiries in 2019.

"As things progressed, we began to find that intimidating behaviour became a key theme of Smith’s modus operandi,” said investigator Jason Helmn.

“It also became apparent that we were dealing with things on a large scale.

"When we spoke to victims we found some hadn’t just lost a few hundred or a few thousand pounds. In some cases, it was tens of thousands.”

His accomplice, Tomlinson (67), of Mansfield Road in Heanor, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation and he was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for 12 months. He must also complete 122 hours of unpaid work.