Durban - “I have a cancer, I was trying to get back to the UK for treatment". So said British serial conman and fraudster Brandon Pyatt, 64, who was finally caught after evading justice for 21 years. He appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after the long arm of the law caught up with him in South Africa this week.
Conspicuously aged compared with his photograph circulated by the UK’s National Crime Agency , Pyatt was assisted from the court holding cells up the steps into the courtroom. Pyatt, from Manchester, skipped bail during his trial on charges of fraud and corruption at Chester Crown Court and it is believed he used a number of false identities to evade capture for the next two decades.
He refused the offer of a lawyer and said he did not want bail, repeating that he wanted to go back to the UK for medical treatment. “He is a prolific fraudster and it seems that during his time in South Africa, he has continued offending and continued causing harm, making it all the more important that we track him down.
News reports at the time said that Pyatt, who was a Manchester City fan, claimed he had been selling more than 1000 bottles a day via mail order at £10 a bottle.