Judge labels Boston woman as 'one of the most morally bankrupt persons' he has encountered after she clocks up 220 offences in 21 years

Since 2002, Charmaine McAllister, 37, has defrauded dozens of victims across Britain out of more than £100,000 in a series of credit card scams by masquerading as a police officer, bank worker, soldier and even an advertising executive from Horse and Hound magazine.

During her two-decade-long spree, grammar school educated McAllister spent her stolen cash on luxury cars, cosmetic surgery, hotel stays and designer clothing – and in one incident stole money from her own mother.

She was arrested again after she defrauded three car dealerships by acquiring vehicles including two BMWs using stolen credit card details and then quickly selling them on to others for cash.

Inquiries revealed McAlister was on bail for other fraud offences at the time and had previously been to jail at least 16 times. She is currently banned from every equestrian centre in Britain after targeting horse riders attending village shows and dressage events.

At Chester Crown Court, McAllister, who also goes by the name Charmaine Rowan and 15 other aliases was jailed for another 15 months after she admitted 10 fraud offences and one theft. The stretch will be added to a 40-month jail term she is currently serving at a prison in Peterborough for a series of other stings. Other previous addresses also include Stickford and Alford.

Sentencing on December 20, Judge Steven Everett said: “I have been around for quite a long time now but I do not remember any person male or female, who has committed so many frauds. Her record is as bad as I have seen. She is without a doubt the most dishonest woman I have come across.”

He told McAllister: “This is a truly tangled web and totally brazen dishonesty. You are a sophisticated fraudster to be sure, a fraudster without any morals whatsoever, without any regret about what you do. You are one of the most morally bankrupt persons I have ever come across.

“Nothing is too small for you to steal or defraud and I'm not convinced that you are going to change. As time goes by you just get longer and longer prison sentences that will protect the public for a little while.

“You have had a total of 50 different court appearances which is mind boggling and your set of previous convictions are the worst I have ever seen for a fraudster. You must be thinking about fraud whenever you come out of prison, time and time again.

“You have lied to the courts about what you are going to do, lied about your illnesses and you have even stolen from your own mother in the past. You are truly a despicable person. I am quite sure that you will say anything you can to try to reduce your sentence so that you can get out and carry on and just help yourself.'”

McAllister first went to jail in February 2008 for nine months at Lincoln after she stole a handbag containing £600 from a horse rider at an equine event. She was then locked up again in 2011 when she stole the purses of two more female riders before using their credit cards to withdraw £4,500.

In 2015 she was jailed for more than four years, made subject of a Criminal Bahaviour Order banning her for all equestrian events and was branded a ‘plague to the whole horse industry’ after raiding unattended horse boxes while riders were competing and offering non-existent riding accessories for sale.

She was locked up again in 2018 after posing as a Horse and Hound saleswoman to con the magazine's advertising clients.

On occasions McAllister tried to avoid going to court by producing a fraudulent medical certificate and even falsely claimed her mother had died only for police to check and find her alive and well. She also spent her stolen money on computers, baby goods, gift cards and even air rifles for her then boyfriend.

In the latest spree of offending in October last year, McAllister again pretended to work for Horse and Hound magazine to dupe one of its advertisers into giving out her credit card details over the phone. She then using the details to acquire a £6,500 Hyundai car from a dealership in Warrington before selling the car to a dealer in Chorley, Lancashire for £4,000.

She also used the same details to acquire a BMW for £2,895 from a dealership in Ellesmere Port and even stole a second credit card from a staff member when she turned up in person to collect the vehicle.

She subsequently used that credit card to buy groceries at Sainsbury’s, an overnight stay at a Ramada hotel and various items on Gumtree. She later sold on the BMW to a private buyer for £500 after falsely claiming she was due to go on a tour of Syria with the British Army.

In a separate con, McAllister used a stolen credit card from Ireland to get a £4,995 BMW 1 Series car from a dealership in Crewe before selling it onto another garage in nearby Deeside for £2,500.

Laura Knightly, prosecuting, said some of the offences were detected when clients who unwittingly bought the vehicles were stopped by police. McAllister was later identified from CCTV images.

Miss Knightly said: “She was interviewed and admitted posing as an employee of Horse and Hound to obtain credit card information which she used to purchase the two vehicles which she sold on for cash. All the money made from the fraud has gone.”

The court was told most of the victims had been refunded by their banks.

Last June, McAllister was jailed for 40 months at Lincoln after she pocketed £9,000 by falsely claiming to have a caravan for sale and then used different stolen bank cards to make three purchases totalling £8,000.

The court was told that from 2002 to 2022 she had a total of 135 fraud offences, 57 thefts and 17 other offences on her record including assault on her record.

In mitigation, McAllister's counsel Myles Wilson said: “She made admissions in an interview and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity – but I should say on her behalf I can not disagree with Your Honour’s assessment of her.

“Some reports were prepared by a psychologist and a psychiatrist to try and get some insight and both assessed her as having a personality disorder and behaving impulsively.

''She tells me that she is undertaking a cognitive behavioural therapy course in prison to get an insight into her self-destructive behaviour. She has enrolled on an Open University degree course in sports science and on the day of her release she has teed up for herself treatment and therapy. She doesn't want to waste her life in prison.''

RAP SHEET:

February 2008, Lincoln Crown Court – theft of handbag: nine months jail.

June 2011, Boston Magistrates’ Court – theft of purses and credit card fraud: four months jail.

January 2014, Winchester Crown Court – 18 offences of fraud and theft and with 45 others to be considered after £31,882 was stolen victims at horse trials : two years jail, suspended for two years.

June 2015, Sheffield Crown Court – fraud and theft x 45: four years and eight months in jail and issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order, banning her from contacting advertisers of horses, ponies or equestrian equipment for sale.

April 2018, Leeds Crown Court – fraud and handling stolen goods after stealing purse from 88-year-old woman at Costa Coffee: nine months jail.

July 2018, Leeds Crown Court – 15 charges of fraud and breaching the CBO: four years jail.

October 2018, Gloucester Magistrates’ Court – fraud: 26 weeks jail.

July 2021, Birmingham Magistrates’ Court – fraud: 12 months jail.

June 2023, Lincoln Crown Court – fraud x 4: 40 months in jail.