The Essex businessman David Ames lured investors with the promise of a Caribbean dream, but the £226m fraud he perpetrated left thousands with the nightmare of losing life-savings and pensions.
Through glossy brochures, slick marketing events and the pulling power of celebrities, including former sports stars such as the tennis player Pat Cash, the golfer Gary Player and the footballer Andy Townsend and Liverpool football club, he persuaded people to invest in off-plan holiday cabanas and apartments across the Caribbean and in Brazil.
