Preston man welcomes court order on serial fraudster who fleeced his elderly parents out of their home and savings to fund hair implants and business flights

Syed Arfat Bukhari, now 41, fleeced the elderly Fulwood man, 83, and his wife, 84, out of £350,000 and blew the cash on hair transplants, dental work, first class flights to Dubai, renting Lamborghini sports cars, and jewellery.

He was previously ordered to pay back £307,759.08 of his ill gotten gains, and is serving seven years and 11 months for the fraud - which will be followed by a further five years and seven months for another fraud involving faking his own death to claim a £1m insurance payout.

Now, following a further hearing at Sessions House, Bukhari will be subject to the terms of an SCPO - a civil order that can be imposed on a person convicted of a serious crime which a court feels will protect the public by preventing, restricting or disrupting their involvement in serious crime.

Breaching a SCPO is a criminal offence and is punishable by up to five years imprisonment and an unlimited fine, on top of the sentence he or she may receive.

Judge Simon Newell imposed the power for the maximum five years.

The victim's son, Graham Worsnopp, said: "Anything that curtails the activities of this criminal can only be a good thing.

"Hopefully it will help to stop another family suffering what we went through.

"The order won't make a difference to my father because by the time Bukhari gets out of prison he either won't be with us or will be in a home.

"After Bukhari's crimes my stepmum's condition deteriorated and she kept having falls, and she has had to go into a home.

"My father is 84 and is in his own world, which has protected him in one way. He seems happy enough - he thinks my stepmum is still in bed, or out doing the shopping.

"They have not been able to see each other due to Covid but neither are aware of the situation."

The family believes the details of the retired Merchant Navy officer and his wife were either sold to Bukhari or he cold called them.

After befriending them in a way that remains a mystery, Bukhari secretly emptied the Fulwood couple's bank and building society accounts, took credit cards out in their name and defrauded their investment and savings accounts. He even redirected their mail and landline calls and posed as their 'adopted son' to officials.

Mr Worsnopp has spent years dealing with the traumatic aftermath, including instructing a private solicitor after receiving a letter saying the couple, who have four children and seven grandchildren between them, had a week to leave their home because a new owner was moving in.

They had received letters informing them the pensioner owed a credit card debt, and he had to contact around 15 financial institutions to deal with the aftermath.

Fortunately the Land Registry transferred the ownership back across after the probe and refunded the person who had bought the house.

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