Geoffrey Fincher, 72, who is a former director of financial advice company, SK8 Financial Services, duped his clients – many of whom were elderly and his longstanding friends – out of their money over the course of several years.
The firm, which had its FCA approval removed after it came under investigation in 2013, was not authorised to hold clients funds. However, Fincher, from Altrincham Road in Wilmslow, had pretended to put money into investments, when in reality he had been keeping some of the cash for himself.
"Scarred by their experience"
"Fincher had known most of his victims for decades and abused their trust to gain access to their life savings,” said DC Jackie Nolan from Cheshire Police Economic Crime Unit, who was in charge of the investigation.
Despite nearly all Fincher’s clients having been reimbursed, Nolan highlighted that “the shock and disbelief has left them scarred by their experience”.
She added: “The stress of discovering your future security has vanished must be traumatic, and not knowing if you would ever get your life savings back, made it a truly stressful and frightening time for them."
Fincher pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud, seven counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception, two counts of theft and five counts of making or supplying an article for use in fraud.
He has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at Chester Crown Court.
Senior crown prosecutor at Mersey-Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, Gary Simpson, said: "It would appear that earlier in his career Fincher was law abiding. We may never know what made him turn to crime and ruin his name, but his reputation is now in shreds and he has only himself to blame."
