A PASTOR who went on the run after being convicted of scamming nearly £250,000 from close friends and colleagues has been found in South Africa.
Bruce Scott, was due to appear at Reading Crown Court in January 2014 for sentencing after being found guilty of 10 counts of fraud and deception, but failed to show up, being caught on CCTV on the A40 at the time he was due in court.
However, the 51-year-old has been found 14 months on in Johannesburg, South Africa, and has been detained. The extradition process is ongoing.
Scott, a pastor at the Covenant Church of the Cross in Beaconsfield Road, Farnham Common, who lived in Overdales, High Wycombe, was convicted along with his wife Belinda, who was found guilty of one count of fraud by false representation, at the same court in November 2013 after a six-week trial.
Between 1998 and 2012, a number of people from the Scott’s business and private lives were duped into handing over substantial amounts of money. The couple entered into agreements to pay fees of rent in instalments, but they failed to pay or fabricated reasons to avoid or delay payment.
The nine victims were members of the church, close friends and business associates, as well as members of the business community, a private individual and a school.
Mrs Scott received a one year conditional discharge in January 2014 for her role in the fraud.
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