Black money scam gang jailed

Three gang members who helped trick a Wolverhampton businessman and his brother out of more than £70,000 in a money con were jailed this afternoon.

The fraudsters convinced Gurmit Cheehan he could have a third of a phoney £1.5million cash pot if he handed over money to pay for cleaning fluid to remove black paint allegedly used to disguise the notes.

They claimed the cash had been smuggled into the UK from Liberia in Africa.

Mr Cheehan, who ran Village Fashions in Queen Square but lost the business as a result of the con, was shown a sample involving real money, but the rest of the black paper was blank.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard this afternoon how he was first approached in his shop in August 2008 and over the following months he and his brother paid £70,000 to the gang.

The pair eventually contacted police, who set up a hidden camera and filmed three gang members as they tried to get thousands more.

They were Mollinenah Kekula, hospital van driver Glair Harris and retired builder Michael Kirrane, all from London or Middlesex.

Kekula, aged 37, was jailed for 33 months, Harris, 40, was given 20 months and Kirrane, aged 72, got 16 months. All admitted conspiracy to defraud.

Judge John Warner said: "The victim was tempted by easy money and it's had serious consequences."