Anisha Kiri, instructed by Karamjit Singh of Holborn Law, secures suspended sentence for pharmacist charged with possessing tens of thousands of pounds obtained by email interception fraud.

The defendant, a respected pharmacist of previous good character, acquired a vast amount of money as a result of criminal activity.

The victim company, a travel agency, was required to reimburse a number of its customers for flight bookings that had been cancelled during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. One of its customers seeking a refund were asked to provide their banks details to the travel agency. Unbeknown to the travel agency, the email had been intercepted by fraudsters who provided the defendant’s bank details instead. The travel company acted on this information in good faith by making the large repayment into the defendant’s bank account. The defendant, upon receiving this payment, quickly transferred the funds into a number of his own accounts, as well as making various cryptocurrency investments.

The defendant pleaded guilty on the basis that he had no knowledge of the scam and believed the refund was from a friend who owed him a large debt.

Anisha successfully advanced the defendant’s case and persuaded the sentencing Judge not to impose immediate custody by highlighting the defendant’s previous good character, the age of the offence, and the steps taken in the interim to address the root of his offending.

Anisha was instructed by Karamjit Singh of Holborn Law.

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