A fraud victim has slammed the justice system's 'shocking failure' as the man that conned them out of £7,500 continues to evade authorities.
Wayne Parker, 35, of Hazel Grove, Feltham, was found guilty of defrauding creditors out of £765,000 in October last year, and is awaiting sentence.
Ipswich Crown Court heard Parker, formerly of Mildenhall, had presented himself as a legitimate livestock owner, which allowed him to be given credit by a number of companies.
He issued cheques for thousands of pounds that bounced on accounts which only contained a few pennies or which were empty.
Parker denied participating in a fraudulent business with intent to defraud creditors by incurring debts but was convicted after a three-week trial.
Nadia Silver, prosecuting for Suffolk Trading Standards, claimed that Parker bought goods on credit and on the goodwill of suppliers and assured them he was a person of good standing who would pay what he owed.
Parker was unable to attend his original court date as he was undergoing tests for suspected testicular cancer, but failed to attend his sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court on February 7.
Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley issued a warrant for his arrest, with Suffolk Trading Standards launching an appeal to locate him.
Late last year, James Wright lost £7,500 to Parker after he refused to pay the invoice for bales of hay he sold to him.
With his wife six months pregnant at the time, Mr Wright said the ordeal was particularly distressing.
"The really sad thing was that he was on bail at the time," he said.
"I chased him for months and when I googled his name, I found out he was already under investigation."
"That was all of our year's work gone and we haven't got a penny back."
Now Parker is on the run, Mr Wright said the delays to his conviction were a "shocking failure of our justice system."
"The courts treat defendents better than they treat victims," he added.
READ MORE: Wayne Parker's appeal against conviction is rejected by court
Believing in the power of speaking out against fraudsters, Mr Wright said many people are "let off the hook" because their victims are too embarrassed to say anything.
He said: "It is embarrassing, yes, but when people don't talk about it, all it's doing is protecting these fraudsters.
"We often don't talk about fraud because of the shame involved, but it can happen to anyone."
A spokesman for Suffolk Trading Standards said: "The defendant’s sentence was adjourned twice upon application by the defendant, although Counsel acting for Trading Standards opposed the applications at the time.
"In deciding whether to grant the adjournment, the Court were likely to have considered that he had a historical record of attending Court when required to do so.
"Trading Standards have since done all that is reasonably possible to bring Parker to Court to face his sentence.
"If any victim feel that a decision made by a Court has been unjust or has unfairly impacted them in some way, they may wish to raise their concerns with the Court directly."
Now, the hunt for Parker continues as Suffolk Trading Standards launched a new appeal for information on his whereabouts.
Parker has links to Surrey, but has also carried out work in Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
Recent intelligence suggests that he may be working in Wales and there are also links to him being in Somerset.
Anyone who has seen Parker, or knows of his current location, should contact Suffolk Trading Standards.
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