Fraudster Mark Acklom to Attend December Confiscation Hearing Remotely

Mark Acklom, a British fraudster jailed for conning his ex-girlfriend Carolyn Woods out of £300,000 by posing as a Swiss banker and MI6 agent, will not attend his upcoming confiscation hearing in person. After being sentenced in 2019 to five years and eight months in prison, Acklom fled the UK in 2016 during parole and was extradited to Spain in 2021, where he served two more years before his release in 2023. Despite his release, prosecutors have been pursuing recovery of the stolen funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act through a series of hearings at Bristol Crown Court over the last five years. The final confiscation hearing is scheduled for December 18 and 19, 2024, and Acklom will participate remotely from a video conference room at a legal firm, as confirmed by his defense counsel. Acklom's current location is undisclosed, though it is known he lives in Spain with his wife and two children. Judge Martin Picton, who originally sentenced Acklom, will preside over the hearing aimed at determining the assets Acklom must repay or face additional jail time.