Harlequin chairman David Ames, the man behind a £226m SIPP-based fraud which hit 8,000 victims, was today jailed at Southwark Crown Court for 12 years.

A jury at Southwark Crown Court has today found guilty David Ames, 70, one of the key figures behind the extensive £226m Harlequin fraud which conned many pension investors.

The Serious Fraud Office has today charged David Ames, chairman of the Harlequin Group of companies, which was used by Sipp investors, with three counts of Fraud by Abuse of Position, contrary to section 1 of the Fraud Act 2006.