A 43-year-old man wanted in connection with a high-value fraud has been featured in a new appeal launched by the National Crime Agency and Crimestoppers.
Mark Richard Acklom is wanted for defrauding a woman he was in a relationship with out of £850,000.
The offences, which happened in Bath, were reported to Avon and Somerset Police in 2013.
A new appeal to locate Acklom has been launched as part of Operation Captura – a multi-agency campaign identifying ten most wanted British fugitives believed to be in Spain.
Det Insp Adam Bunting said: “The victim in this case was conned out of a large amount of money by a man she was in a relationship with, who claimed to work in the banking world in Switzerland and latterly for an intelligence agency.
“She loaned him a total of £850,000 so he could complete renovation work on a property in Bath, which it transpired he didn’t even own. He disappeared with her money and she never heard from him again.
“The offences are being treated as fraud by false representation and in June 2016 we obtained a European Arrest Warrant for Mark Richard Acklom, who is believed to be in Spain.
“We continue to work with a number of organisations, including the National Crime Agency and the Spanish authorities, in order to locate and arrest Mark Acklom as soon as possible.”
Mark Acklom is described as 5ft 10ins, of medium build, with dark brown hair and green eyes.
Talking about Operation Captura, Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC, the founder and Chair of Crimestoppers, said: “As we mark the tenth anniversary of Operation Captura, it is safe to say it has been an extremely effective was of tracking down some of the most wanted individuals who are deliberately running from justice.
“We know that with the help of the Spanish authorities, along with the public in Spain and the UK, we can find these people.”
Steve Reynolds, Head of International Operations for the National Crime Agency added: “The fugitives we are hunting are wanted for serious crimes and must be returned to the UK to face justice.
“We need the support of the public to help us catch them. Be our eyes and ears and tell us if you have any information on the whereabouts of our targets.”
If you have information about the whereabouts of Mark Acklom, contact Avon and Somerset Police via 101 and quote reference 7429713.
You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or contacting them online.
