29/10/2012 Inside Out South West

Hello and welcome to Inside Out South West. Stories and

investigations from where you live. Tonight, hug a hoodie? Well, how

about the Cornwall woman who has thrown open her home to ex-

offenders and their friends? haven't been arrested once since I

have been here and I always get arrested. That is where I would be

without her. Prison. But now Julie Stoddern's unofficial

refuge is under threat. Part of me just says carry on. Then another

part of me obviously says don't carry on because you will lose the

things that mean something to you in life.

Also, the South West pensioners being scammed out of their savings.

They promised me that I had won so many thousands. But they never paid

We catch up with the company that bins their desperate letters.

You could stop it happening, your company could stop it happening.

Have you got nothing to say to these people at all? Surely you owe

them something? I am Sam Smith and this is Inside

So this is the popular image of Cornwall, boats, harbours, and

quaint cottages clinging to the hillside. One woman living in the

heart of this county sees a very different reality. Julie Stoddern

has opened up her home to troubled young people but it is a move that

has landed her in deep water. Anybody want tea and toast?

A year ago Julie's four-bedroomed Camborne home was full to bursting

with a dozen tenants plus assorted visitors.

At the moment we have got Callum, Daniel, Chris, Nathan, Megan, Simon,

Dougie, Nathan, and that is only about a quarter. Obviously I have

created a little family here now, or should I say a big family?!

Daniel with his famous body! I haven't been arrested once since

I have been here and I always get arrested. That is basically it.

That is basically where I would be without Julie. Prison.

This is uncle Simon. Julie supports me in more ways than anyone else

has ever done, ever. I get very frustrated about the littlest

things because of the problems I have, and if it wasn't for her I

would lose the plot. But the council says this is

overcrowding, and she has got to cut down. And it means the 12 of us

that was actually here in the property have got to now go down to

5 including myself. Thank you, Julie, lovely. Very

upsetting to think I have put all this hard work and effort and my

own money into it, and actually shot myself in the foot as well as

everybody else. So now I have got to have the choice of who is going

to be staying and who is going which isn't quite so easy. Right,

this is Julie's cave! Because of lack of storage because obviously

there have been so many of the lads I have been trying to support, I am

now sorting this out and bagging the boys' stuff. Where do I start?

That is the next thing. I look at it and think, where do I start?

Just put them in that bag down there. That can do for Callum.

Callum has just come out of prison so he needs some more things.

Julie fostered children for many years before taking in young adults.

She charges rent, but running around after her tenants has taken

a toll on her finances and her car. Can I go to the garage for them to

have a check? I need that tender loving care and I need to chat one

Plugs points. Distributor cap. More money that you haven't got. Back

home Julie has got to decide who stays and who goes. Daniel Penrose

may have no choice. He is up in court today for burglary. I always

go to prison for stupid things. Criminal damage. Fall out with

someone. Daniel was homeless and on a police tag when Julie took him in

a year ago. He had been in and out of prison ago since his teens.

was advised not to have him here because he was such a bad lad and I

just thought I would take him in and give him a go. He is one of the

best ones and I am glad I did take him in. Danielle is Daniel's

girlfriend and is also living at Julie's. I want to stay out of

prison, I have something to stay out of prison for, more self-

respect. That is what it boils down to, self-respect. Nervous? Tenant

Nathan Lodge-Matthews is also due in court today. He is hoping for

He is charged with breaching bail conditions and could also be jailed.

I have got to go? Yes. Main worry is for obviously Dan, but Nathan as

well because Nathan is not sure whether he will be sent down today

Daniel is bailed. But Nathan is sent to jail. He has got to do

three months in prison, then the next three months he is released

out on licence under condition he has got a place to go. Which makes

it again very difficult for myself, because obviously I have been told

to cut down the numbers, and I might not even the able to take him

back under the circumstances the council and everybody has put me in,

so, I don't know what is going to Back in Camborne Julie has got an

eye on the meter. That is OK for a moment. Thank goodness. OK for a

minute. For about another day. then what? Panic. Get some money on

the key. Or else we will be in Although she has lost one tenant to

prison Julie can't resist taking in David will be allowed to stay as

long as he keeps out of trouble. One of Julie's longest standing

lodgers is Simon. He says being here has changed his life.

I used to do a lot of amphetamine, MDMA, pills, I used to smoke weed

on a daily basis, at one point I was even injecting amphetamine and

allsorts, doing a lot of really nasty things to fund my habits like

mugging people. I would never do any burglaries on houses or stuff,

but I was always hitting warehouses and shops and DIY centres, and even

lorry yards, I would drain their fuel and sell it to people, and

take catalytic converters, allsorts. Anything and everything.

But for Julie living with unpredictable tenant has its risks.

One night a knife was pulled on her. One of the lads basically tried to

take me hostage, and telling the others I am looking after her and

of course obviously which triggered the other lads off to become

frightened for myself, obviously, and for themselves. Did you fear

for your safety? Of course you do. Your safety, anybody else's safety

in the property, your family is in your thoughts and everything.

And Julie's trust in new arrival David proves misplaced. Late one

night he takes �800 from her credit cards and does a runner. All this

strife has brought Julie into conflict with her own family.

I don't know why, I just feel so torn between everything, I really

do. Because obviously I made it their home, and it was my son's

home. So now he feels it is not his home because obviously they have

taken over. This is another lad that writes to me every week, one

of many. "I am out soon, 31st of August, is all my stuff there still

OK? How are things at home? It will get easier as time goes on. "Part

of me just says carry on, and then another part of me obviously says

no, don't carry on, because you will lose the things that mean

something to you. "I feel so helpless here when I could be there

supporting you. Missing you like mad, love you, Nathan". You think

Yes, torn between the two. Very difficult.

Julie is on her way to Bodmin. Two of her lodgers are ready to move

out. Daniel and Danielle might be eligible for a supported flat and

they are on their way to see it. There are quite a few people.

has gone quite well today. Hopefully we should have some good

news. Apart from the weather. Hopefully we should have some good

news on Tuesday, fingers crossed. It is a few weeks now since David

took Julie's money. He handed himself in to the police, got a job,

and he is paying Julie back. He said he instantly regretted what he

did. About 20 seconds after I got it out the bank. But I couldn't

exactly put it back into the cashpoint machine. You could have

taken back and given it to her. then she'd have known I robbed her

cards anyway. So at that stage you thought you would get away with it.

Yeah. I didn't think I would get away with it. To be honest, I

didn't really want to get away with it. Julie has allowed him back into

the house. He knows it was wrong, but when situations of drug and

drink take over, the control seems to disappear.

But has Julie been taken advantage of by various lodgers over the

years? One of her tenants certainly think so. Stealing things, taking

things, pawning things to the pawn shop, allsorts. Getting loans to

this address. Loan companies ringing us up 10 times a day for

other people who don't live here. Allsorts. Took the Mickey right out

of her. And Danielle and Daniel, who

finally moved out, have little sympathy for Julie's troubles.

If you welcome convicts and offenders into your house you have

got to have things in place. would go on about how her things

are going missing. Well don't allow convicts into your bloody house.

Some say it is a drug den, a squat, somewhere where they could all run

to and hide and I am protecting them. One of my friends came round

and had a knife pulled on them. Knives are getting pulled out all

the time. You don't think the young people who are there being properly

protected? No. There should definitely be more things in place.

I try to provide a safe environment, obviously. But again you have

issues, and the violence. They are coming in drugged up. Then them

losing control and having to deal But things are quiet for now.

Julie's dad is helping to make her house more secure. Simon is also

pitching in and staying out of trouble. Excellent. He's coming on

a treat. Very good, aren't you, Simon? Yeah, I'm enjoying it as

well. He's the sort of lad, you show him once and he's straight

into it. I don't know. I find this sort of stuff really relaxing. I

don't know. Just doing something anyway and then accomplishing

something myself. Seeing how nice it looks afterwards. It's amazing.

I'm slowly getting back to the state where I'm on an even level.

And that's all due to living here and Julie supporting me and not

giving up on me if you know what I mean. Julie supports me in more

ways than anyone else has ever done ever. Just like little things. I

get very frustrated about the littlest things because of the

problems I've got. If it wasn't for her being there for me, I'd just

lose the plot, I think. She means so much to me. She brought me in

off the streets. I haven't committed no crime since living

here. I'm 100% better compared to what I used to be. If I was to lose

her now, I think I'd go straight back down.

Those who care for Julie worry she's still taking on too much.

does her best, let's put it that way. Let's just say some people

don't want to be helped. Yeah. There's only a certain few she's

tried to help that really want to be helped. Like Simon. Six months

after the council's ultimatum, Julie's down to four lodgers. But

not for much longer. Nathan Lodge And he is going home with Julie.

These lads are not just my responsibility. They're everybody's

responsibility. I'm saving these lads. There's probably thousands

They promise prizes that never materialise and throw away letters

asking for help. John Cutthill goes undercover to expose the company

deceiving elderly and vulnerable This is John Turner. He lives in

Barnstaple in North Devon. He's spent thousands of pounds chasing a

prize which doesn't exist. They've promised me that I have won

thousands. But they never pay me. They say deliberately, oh yes,

you've won it. But they never pay out. He's bought products from a

mail order company which promised a big cash prize. His son thinks over

the last six years he's spent tens of thousands of pounds. He's

probably been spending sort of �5,000 a year. Taking that on a

six-year basis, he's probably spent about �30,000 in the last six years.

Rosemary Berry, a midwife from Uffculme near Cullompton, has also

received letters telling her she's won more money than she could ever

dream of. "You are indeed a designated cheque winner. You

really are the one and only person concerned. The correct reply from

you in time is essential to be able to receive your guaranteed cheque.

Please note that the head office has formally requested that I send

you the prize that you have indeed Two more pages all saying pretty

Joan Watkins lives in a council flat on a pension. For the past six

months, she's also spent hundreds of pounds chasing a cash prize.

years we have been trying to save up for a mortgate but didn't get

that far. And I thought the boys could get a car out of it. That's

what I done it for really. bought health and beauty products

from a mail order company which made her believe if she placed

orders with them she would win more than �130,000. I'm careful really

because I've only got my pension. And I thought, well, it's a name

and they've got an address and they are sending the stuff. So how can

it be a scam? She wrote to the address in Hampshire asking when

her cheque would arrive. She never received a reply. What she did get

was more post requesting more orders and promising prizes. We've

uncovered evidence showing while cheques are cashed and orders

processed, letters from confused pensioners asking what's happened

to their promised prizes are thrown People from all over the country

have fallen for this con. And in every case it can be traced back to

one address. The UK nerve centre for a huge mail order scam. Emery

They're clearly not reading their letters. Time to give them a voice.

"Dear friends, I enclose my order cheque and forms. Hope you can now

read my order cos I'm 90 years old last June, but I'm in a wheelchair

and can't walk, have two heart Our loud hailer is going down a

storm. Neighbouring businesses come out to listen to letters from

confused customers, which is more than can be said for the company

"I don't see anyone. And pay for some treatment which will help me

One employee whose job it was to bin the customers' letters was so

appalled at the part the UK business plays in this deception

that she went undercover with a camera to show what happens. The

mail handling company works for a Frenchman who runs a number of

businesses in Europe promising After working there and opening

these letters, I'm thinking several people had won. It had me convinced.

It can't be that everyone is a winner. The letters people write in

People are confused, generally asking about their prize and why

they haven't got it yet. People say they need the money and asking

about it. I have to throw it away. At Tower Hamlets, Jimmy and Mary's

cupboards are all but bare. They've gone into debt because Jimmy was so

convinced he'd won a prize, he kept ordering goods to make sure he

My partner kept saying to me, "Oh, I know it's true. Everything's

going to be all right." And he believed in it. He believed it

until I told him. Even my daughters told him he's wasting his money on

it. But Jimmy just wouldn't have it. Jimmy thought they were right and

we were wrong. Like others, they wrote to the company. And without

our whistleblower their letter would have been thrown away with

the rest. I do recognise this actually. "To all the managers and

staff at Vital Nature, thank you so much for the lovely news I received

with my order informing me and my family I had finally won this

cheque. This is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me

and my family. This will be life- changing for us. I can't thank you

all enough and it's all down to your beautiful company, Vital

Nature. Time to go and see some of the people behind this very nasty

business. Many of the mail order companies are owned by the same

person. A wealthy Frenchman who needs a UK-based postal address in

order to operate. That's where Emery comes in. Based in Romsey in

Hampshire and owned by Nick and David Gebbett. You might know David

if you're a member of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club or the Royal

Southern Yacht Club. He's a very keen sailor. He's got a yacht thing

over there and lives within spitting distance of this marina.

That's when he's not swanning around New Zealand for six months

of the year. His son, Nick Gebbett, lives in Norfolk. He's into skiing

and also tweeting. His latest tweet is something about taking a cat to

the vet. Hope the cat gets better. But nothing about running a company

involved in a mass marketing scam. While their customers may be left

all at sea, the Gebbetts appear to be riding high on a wave of success.

Here's dad David who often pops in for a chat at the company. And

here's his son Nick who appears to be in charge. He keeps a much lower

profile. It's not the best photo. While they throw away most letters

they receive, Nick Gebbett did read the one we sent him. He replied

they would only answer our questions with a statement if we

used it in full and unedited. Obviously we want to hear their

side of the story, but we can't go giving promises like that to anyone.

But I still needed to know why they thought it was OK to do the dirty

work for a French scammer. And what were the chances of that? I managed

to bump into David Gebbett at his Good morning. Mr Gebbett? Yes.

Cuthill from BBC Inside Out. Can I just ask why your company continues

to cash cheques of vulnerable people? You know what's going on.

You know I can't answer any questions. We have sent a statement

to you and that's all there is to it. You staff have been asked to

shred their letters. That's not good customer service. I can't

comment on that. Why don't you tell them what's happening? Why do you

continue to have dealings with this company ripping them off? I can't

comment on that. Sorry. I have to go. What do you say to these people

who have been taken for a ride by this company? Your company could

stop it from happening. If we didn't, some other company would do

it. But that doesn't make it right. You've got nothing to say to these

people at all? Surely you owe them There we go. His reply, no comment

but if they didn't do it, someone else would. Does that make it right

though? Thank you for the exciting news of a large cheque win. I am

really excited. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has asked to

see our evidence. They say they are keen to take action against any

companies that operate to deceive members of the public. My message

to companies working as a third party to a criminal enterprise is

that, yes, you are on borrowed time. My job in the National Fraud

Intelligence Bureau and that of law enforcement is to close in as

quickly as we can to stop you operating, to bring you to justice,

and to make sure you are seen as part of that criminal conspiracy.

And we're closing in on you whether you be in the UK, whether you

operate for somebody outside the UK. The National Fraud Intelligence

Bureau is bringing that together on behalf of the nation. We are there

to make sure that people in UK are less and less susceptible to your

criminal methods and criminal means. And our job is to make sure we

protect the people of this country. "It is a free draw, and as my

number is the winning number, I hope that you mean to pay me. At

this moment in time, I'm living on I think our work here is done. I