A blind-ex serviceman from West Lothian was targeted by a notorious fantasist who forged fake invites to the King’s Coronation.
In a twisted bid to convince a blind ex-serviceman that he was going to the big royal event, Anthony Brennan, 29, conned Bill Mackie and his wife Heather received fake invites to King Charles’ crowning at Westminster Abbey.
Bill, 69, was targeted after he and Brennan volunteered to join the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) charity.
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The Record can reveal Brennan:
- Forged coronation invites for Bill and Heather
- Claimed to be a rich philanthropist with a private jet and offered to rent out offices at Holyroodhouse for the charity.
- Arranged fake meetings for Bill to attend in Tanzania with government officials, convincing him to travel 7000 miles to the African country.
- Claimed to be a high-ranking honorary officer of Interpol.
The former soldier explained that it wasn't until he read the Record's previous stories about Brennan that he clocked that he was being misled.
Speaking to the Record, Bill said: “It’s hard to believe the lies this man has told, always seeking to make himself out to be a very important and powerful person.
If I hadn’t spotted these stories it’s pretty certain Heather and I would have put on our gladrags and turned up at Westminster Abbey.”
Bill and his wife Heather, from Wilkieston, West Lothian, travelled all the way to Tanzania in April for what he thought was a meeting with a government minister, which Brennan falsely claimed to have arranged.
During the trip the couple received fake emailed invitations for the Coronation of King Charles on May 6.
Bill said: “With the benefit of hindsight we could see from the invites that they were forgeries. He spelt Westminster as ‘Westminister’ but must have gone to huge lengths to make the invites look real.
“He even asked me to send him my medals so he could get them polished up to look my very best on the big day.
“He still has the medals and has said I will have to go to court if I want them back. I am taking him up on that.”
The Record revealed last year how Brennan posed as a Celtic scout at a kids’ football tourney, offering to sign young players.
It was also exposed that he was running a fake ambulance company and stealing the identity of a famous scientist.
Brennan met Bill when they volunteered for the IHRC, whose website documents aid work in Africa, South America and other regions. It is understood Brennan was promoted from volunteer to “UK Commissioner” for the charity after convincing the organisation that he was a wealthy medical supplies entrepreneur, with a private jet.
He also pledged to spend £81,000 to rent an office for the charity at Holyroodhouse and another in London.
Bill added: “I received a message in March from the IHRC secretary-general, Professor Rafal Wasik, saying that Tony was a ‘great guy’.
“The next thing I knew Tony was appointed as commissioner for UK and Ireland, based on all his bull***t about previous humanitarian achievements and enormous wealth.”
Bill had become a “peace ambassador” for the IHRC and arranged to travel at his own expense to Tanzania to promote global warming awareness.
He said: “I joined the IHRC because they seemed to be doing good work in Africa and elsewhere to protect human rights. By this time Tony had his feet under the table at the IHRC and was pumped up by his promotion.
“He told me he had a St George’s Cross and an OBE. I was amazed at all his achievements as he was still in his 20s. He appointed me as deputy UK commissioner. He also produced an Interpol badge and told me he was empowered to make me an honorary officer.
“He told me he’d arranged a meeting with the Tanzanian foreign minister.
“Tony had written up and signed a diplomatic travel order for me, instructing anyone who met me to treat me well and give me safe passage. My base was more than 300 miles away and a 10-hour bus journey. When we got to the government HQ we were exhausted.
“Staff had no idea who we were but persuaded a senior official to meet us. I got Tony on the phone and he tried to explain by saying it was, in fact, the deputy foreign minister he had arranged for me to meet.
“The chap in front of us then butted in and said, ‘I am the deputy foreign minister.’ It was pretty excruciating.”
Among boasts made by Brennan was a claim he had £2million in the bank and produced fake statements to prove it. Financial records also suggested he donated £81,000 to the IHRC. The invites to the coronation were sent by email in the names of Count and Countess Mackie.
Bill added: “Everything was starting to seem too much so I did a Google search and discovered the Record story outing him as a fake.
“I sent a link of the Record’s article to the secretary-general. Brennan was kicked out of the organisation, which marked his profile as ‘deleted’ on its website.”
Brennan has been asked to respond. The Record also approached Professor Wasik to comment.
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