A rogue antique dealer deliberately targeted elderly homeowners in the poshest parts of London, flogging their valuable collectibles without permission or simply keeping them, a court heard yesterday.
Peter Taylor, 61, printed convincing looking flyers and business cards, presenting himself as a legitimate expert, who could obtain good prices at auction for the victims' property, the jury were told.
Isleworth Crown Court heard the estimated loss to the 14 customers was approximately more than £195,920.
Trading under his previous legal name of Peter Tillott he operated in and around Kensington; Fulham; Chelsea; Notting Hill and West Brompton in West London.
Peter Taylor, 61, presented himself as a legitimate expert, who could obtain good prices at auction for the victims' property, the jury were told
Taylor, from Twickenham, pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of fraud relating to each individual complainant between March 2016 and February 2019.
The prosecutor said: 'This case involves the targeting of elderly and vulnerable complainants.
'He posted flyers and business cards, purporting to be from an established auction house, offering to collect, value and sell items.'
Taylor operated under the company name 'Chelsea Auction House' and 'Muck2Brass', listing his 23-year-old son as a director.
'The defendant changed his name for a fresh start because the reputation attached to Peter Tillott had become a liability,' the prosecutor added.
One customer, company director Sheila Newsum, 83, who lives in a £1million West Brompton apartment, responded to Taylor's business card, which he shoved through her letterbox, the court heard.
The Chair and Managing Director of Hunters Associates, an international events company, allowed Taylor to remove valuables from her home and said she suffered a £11,340 loss.
Prosecutor Katrina Charles said: 'She felt she was dealing with a knowledgeable professional.'
Also replying to his business card was Austrian-born psychoanalyst Karin Syrett, 79, who lives in a £800,00 apartment in Royal
