Romance conman to appeal against repaying victim

A notorious conman is to appeal against a court order to repay his victim.

Mark Acklom pretended to be an MI6 agent, Swiss banker and property developer to defraud Carolyn Woods of her life savings in 2012.

He pleaded guilty to fraud worth £300,000 against her in 2019, though she has always said she lost closer to £850,000. Acklom was told to refund Woods £125,000 by Bristol Crown Court in December 2025.

He has now been granted leave to appeal against the order, with a hearing unlikely for several months. Woods says the delay is "ridiculous" and believes the criminal justice system is "not fit for purpose". The BBC has contacted Acklom's lawyers for comment.

The Ministry of Justice said: "We do everything possible to make sure criminals pay what they owe to victims – including taking money from an offender's benefits or salary – and they can face jail for non-payment. "

Acklom conducted a romance scam against Woods after meeting her in Gloucestershire in 2012.

She previously told the BBC he had "confided" in her that he was an MI6 agent during their year-long relationship.

The scam included putting her up in a prestigious house in Bath, which he paid for using her money.

He was sentenced to five years, eight months in prison after admitting five counts of fraud.

A letter sent to Woods from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Acklom's appeal was on technical grounds, based on how the court calculated how much money he has available.

It said he disputed whether "tainted gifts" should have been counted as assets in the case.

The CPS website describes a "tainted gift" as property which someone with a criminal lifestyle sells or gives away and "whose value is significantly less than the value of the property at the time of the transfer".

The CPS letter also said it was "not possible to estimate how long the Court of Appeal will take to reach the next stage of their process".

The judge who awarded the confiscation order expressed doubt over whether Acklom would ever pay the order against him, and the appeal further delays repayment.

Woods said: "The court is on the side of the perpetrator and the victim is simply ignored. The whole system is ridiculous.

"The criminal justice system is not fit for purpose, and criminals just get away with it."

Judge Martin Picton told Bristol Crown Court at the time he awarded the order that he had the "gravest doubts" as to whether Acklom would ever pay anything back, and that there was "no effective sanction" if he did not.

He also said Acklom, who is currently believed to be living in Spain, would effectively be unable to return to the UK because he will fear the consequences of a further prison sentence if he does.

Acklom's lawyers did not respond to a BBC request for comment.

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