Churchill's daughter target of frauds plot

Two Midland fraudsters tried to cash cheques from a stolen chequebook belonging to Sir Winston Churchill's daughter, a court was told.

Zuzana Tologova and her brother-in-law Ladislav Tatar visited three branches of Lloyds TSB across the Black Country in one day, trying to bank cheques to the value of nearly £3,000. It is believed that the chequebook in the name of Lady Soames had been intercepted in the mail, Jonathan Challinor, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday.

Tologova and Tatar visited the Great Bridge branch of Lloyds on April 21, where they handed over a cheque for £990 made out to Tologova and from the account of Lady Soames.

Staff at the bank became suspicious and did not bank the cheque.

The pair then headed to the Sedgley branch where they handed over a cheque for £995 taken from the same account, before visiting the Bradmore branch, in Wolverhampton, to bank a cheque worth £997.

Cashiers there became suspicious and called police, and the pair were arrested.

Tologova, of Hickory Drive, Edgbaston, Birmingham, told police she had been approached by two men who told her she was entitled to money because she was pregnant. She claimed she had given the men her bank card and Pin.

The 19-year-old said three men had driven her and Tatar to the three banks, but she had not written the cheques herself.

When interviewed, Tatar, aged 26, of Shireland Road, Smethwick, said he had been asked by Tologova to accompany her as an interpreter, and he had not known where the cheques had come from.

Tatar and Tologova each pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.

Judge Martin Walsh said he believed the pair had been conduits in a bigger fraud. He sentenced Tologova to a community order with supervision for 12 months.

Tatar, who works at a bakery in Luton, will also serve a 12 month community order with supervision and carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. Both must pay £750 towards legal costs.

By Catherine Dalton