AN ELLESMERE Port couple are devastated after being conned out of £80,000 by Michael Mawdsley.
Mawdsley took money directly from Alan and Marjorie Coates through cheques and bank transfers, by pretending they were investments when they were simply payments directly to him.
Mr and Mrs Coates from Ellesmere Port say they feel ‘bitter’ that they will never get their money back, but are keen to warn the public about conmen like Mawdsley.
The couple’s ordeal began in 1988 shortly after Mr Coates, 73, had taken voluntary redundancy at Shell’s Stanlow oil refinery.
Mr Coates, who had worked at the plant for 38 years, took a £61,000 pay-off and was still eligible for his company pension.
Mawdsley convinced the couple to make investments in order to get a high return on the redundancy pay.
He also tricked them into making cheque payments and to take a second mortgage out on their house.
Mrs Coates, 70, said: “He said that he classed us as his friends and that he wouldn’t let us down. I feel I have a broken record in my head all the time about Mawdsley and his unkept promises.
“He stole thousands of pounds off us and used it for his own pleasure leaving us devastated and worried for our retirement and old age.
“We never gambled or spent freely for our own enjoyment. We feel very bitter Mr Mawdsley used our money for his own enjoyment and left us almost penniless.
“This has caused me and my husband a great deal of anxiety which in turn has resulted in me having panic attacks.”
