Dog home fraudsters ordered to pay £1.3 million

Four leading figures with Wyvern Media have been ordered to hand over a combined £1.3m from their ill-gotten gains after their company was found to be behind intentional advertising fraud schemes that targeted vulnerable people in Shropshire.

£1.2 million is from managing director Jonathan Rivers, who was jailed for six years in November.

One of those targeted by Wyvern Media's aggressive methods was Jutta Patterson, owner of Birch Hill Dog Rescue at Neen Sollars, near Cleobury Mortimer, who passed away from cancer shortly after being conned.

Trustees of the dogs’ home said the stress of her ordeal with Wyvern hastened her decline and left the home struggling to keep going.

The dogs home may now be in line to get a little of the seized money as it is to be distributed between victims, the Government, the courts and National Trading Standards, to be invested in other criminal investigations, after a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court.

Under the direction of Rivers, the Derby-based Wyvern Media cold-called small companies to pressurise them into purchasing advertising space in its publications. But sellers lied to businesses by using false distribution figures, being unclear about what publication they were representing and misleading them into thinking their publications would be promoted at high profile events.

They also used aggressive selling techniques and made unauthorised withdrawals from customers’ bank accounts.

James Delaney, manager of the National Trading Standards regional investigation team for the East Midlands, said: “It is pleasing that we have been able to compensate the victims of this case for their significant losses by forcing the criminals involved to hand over their assets gained from the fraud, which is very much an extra punishment for them.

“Some of the victims lost their homes and businesses over their involvement with Wyvern Media and this result goes some way to helping them to rebuild their lives.

“Although we will never be able to make up for the upset and distress caused by Wyvern Media, the leading figures involved in this hearing today haven't been able to gain from their ill-gotten earnings and a further proceeds of crime hearing is to follow next month.”

Under the confiscation order Rivers, 55, and his associates Keira Byrne, 32, Jagjeet Basra, 39, and Matthew Walker, 28, must pay the money within three months or face further prison sentences, including a potential further 10 years in prison in the case of Jonathan Rivers.

Rivers was also ordered to pay an additional £30,000 to cover court costs.

Wyvern Media publication directors Thomas Chamberlain, 31, and Dennis Draper, 44, were previously ordered to pay a total of £122,938, bringing the overall total seized to almost £1.5m so far.