The Serious Fraud Office today raided two sites and made three arrests in the south of England as part of a new investigation into an alleged £76m luxury care homes fraud.

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.

Fraudster Timothy Schools, 61, who was behind a collapsed £100m investment scheme used to fund his luxury lifestyle and network of 'no fee, no win' law firms, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison at Southwark Crown Court today.

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.