Bank account conman sent to jail

A Teesside man who stole bank account details to amass £400,000 has been jailed for three and a half years.

Failed business student, Stephen Hoyle, who had eight houses in his name, stole the details and applied for loans and mortgages, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Hoyle, 39, of Pelham Street, Middlesbrough, admitted conspiracy to defraud and to transfer the proceeds of crime between 2002 and 2004.

Cleveland Police said they did not know how he managed the computer scam.

At the time of his arrest, the Teesside University drop-out, had eight houses, two Mercedes cars, as well as two registered companies in his name.

He also had mortgage applications pending for £543,000 and a loan worth £75,000.

'Professional fraudster'

The court heard how Hoyle shared his week between his graduate girlfriend in Greater Manchester and a prostitute on Teesside where he kept bank details on his computer.

Prosecutor Mike Smith told the court Hoyle had 21 bank and building society accounts worth £390,000.

Duncan McDiarmid, defending, said that Hoyle felt a failure until he began copying other fraudsters who were making easy money.

Jailing him Judge Tony Briggs said: "This was a sophisticated and determined fraud carried out for a significant period. You were in effect a full-time professional fraudster."

Det Con Shane Culley, of Cleveland Police fraud squad, said: "He is the biggest fraudster we have dealt with and we still don't know how he managed it all."