There are sayings such as,”what goes around comes around. “and everything comes to him that waits”. In this case it comes twice. And the guy deserves them both.
Those of you who were punting in the 1990s and early 2000s might well remember John Bailey dubbed “The Pencil Man” by everyone in the betting shop business. He was a pain in the backside of betting shop staff for many years. He was audacious and to be blunt a thief, fraudster, call him what you will.
He would target betting shops which were either under staffed or those which had very busy periods. He would write a bet on the slip using a very light leaded pencil. His selection would be for a reasonable time after the bet was accepted and so bear a time stamp well before his intended fiddle. Just as a race was going off he would approach the counter and ask if he could change his bet as he’s made a mistake. An inexperienced cashier or even one just a little flustered would find his slip and allow him to get his hands on it. as the cashier was too busy to watch what he, the Pencil Man, was doing. He’d erase his original selection and substitute a winning bet. Usually a forecast or tricast with a large winning dividend. He’d then push the slip back over the counter, often, so that it landed behind a till. He’d then present his receipt and demand payment. He’d then cause as much upset as possible whilst the slip was located. The shop staff were left with no choice other than to pay him out. This was his modus operandi in it’s basic form and as time passed he became more daring and more astute. He got away with it many times before word got out and everyone would pass on any news they had of his location each day. Warnings being relayed to all shops in Britain on a daily basis via company message systems etc. When he was located in a specific area all shops in the travel area were warned.
He was reputed to have got in touch with B.O.L A.and accused them of ruining his “business”. Then he had the audacity to offer to show them how the scams could be combated. He was politely told where to go.
Eventually police took an interest and a West Country officer began collecting and collacting evidence from many sources. When the C.P.S. considered they had enough evidence he was arrested and eventually went to trial in 2003. The evidence was overwhelming and he was found guilty and he served three years.
It appears that he was “resting” for a faw years and then in 2010 he duped a victim out of £1,000.000. This was supposed to be used to buy and sell cars. It was in fact used on Betfair accounts and his loses were astronomical. In 2011 he convinced his previous victim that there were £3,000.000 in a Betfair account but he needed another million to “release”. The poor guy fell for it. The second million went the same way as the first. He also cheated a young female student out of her £8,000 student grant.
Found guilty, as he was sentenced to NINE YEARS the judge called him “a callous man who didn’t stop until he’d bled his victims dry” He had a sidekick who was found uiltty of lesser charges and he was locked up for two years.
Knowing our ineffectual justice system Bailey could be out in three years. Everyone in the industry fom whichever side of the counter should be wary of him getting back into his old habits.
So if you’re offered anything from any tipsters etc, just remember, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is.
Bet carefully and wisely.
