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00:12Hello and welcome to Wednesday's show.
00:29We have had lots of calls this week about our appeals already, especially on that shooting
00:33of a nine-year-old girl on Monday.
00:36Remember, you can watch that again on iPlayer or our website.
00:40Today, do you recognise this man?
00:42Police want to speak to him after he duped an elderly man out of his life savings.
00:47And we got more money crimes, this time with the detectives who hauled the biggest Bitcoin
00:51seizure in the world in a fraud orchestrated by the so-called crypto queen.
01:00The amount of Bitcoin seized in this case is enormous.
01:06Police!
01:06Police!
01:07You can't comprehend it.
01:10She defrauded 128,000 victims and amassed £5 billion in Bitcoin.
01:18It is astonishing.
01:19And we'll also be hearing how the ill-gotten gain seized from criminals is being redistributed
01:25to initiatives designed to keep our communities safer.
01:29As always, our team and the officers from today's programme are backstage ready to take your
01:34calls.
01:35All the ways you can get in touch can be found by following that QR code at the bottom of
01:40the screen, which will take you through to our homepage.
01:43Otherwise, the number to call is 08000 468999 or you can text us on 63399.
01:49Start up with the word crime, leave a space, then write your message.
01:53Or if you prefer, you can email us.
01:55The address is cwl at bbc.co.uk.
02:00Now you may have seen our first case in the news today as detectives are relaunching their
02:04appeal into the murder of 25-year-old Melanie Hall, who went out with friends one night
02:10and was never seen again.
02:13Melanie was a loving child, very trusting, always seeing the best of someone.
02:19The two girls were very close, actually.
02:21There was only 23 months between them, so it was unusual for them to be parted.
02:29I can remember the last time I saw Mel and I can see her clearly in the doorway at my
02:34mum
02:34and dad's house and she was wearing this pink flowery skirt with this beautiful blonde hair
02:39and that is my lasting memory of her.
02:41She looked beautiful.
02:43In 1996, Melanie Hall vanished.
02:51Melanie Hall went missing back in June.
02:54The 25-year-old graduate went missing from a nightclub in Bath.
02:58The police and her family have concluded that she's been murdered.
03:04Now, 30 years after she was last seen alive, police are making a renewed appeal for information
03:10about what happened to her.
03:13How's that chicken steak?
03:14How's that chicken steak?
03:14No, it's with me running back in the room!
03:16On June the 8th, 1996, Melanie had gone out to Cadillac nightclub in Bath.
03:24But the 25-year-old clerical worker never returned home.
03:29I did feel right from the very first day that something has happened to her.
03:36And as the days have gone by and the weeks and the months, I'm quite sure something serious has happened
03:44to her.
03:47Then, 13 years later, in 2009, a skull and a set of bones were discovered by workmen clearing undergrowth near
03:56the M5 in Gloucestershire.
03:59As they were conducting the excavation process, we found a gold ring, which was quite distinctive.
04:06And it appeared to still be on a finger bone of the remains.
04:12I think as soon as I saw it, then I realised that it was Melanie's.
04:19Tragically, Melanie had been murdered and left by the side of the road.
04:28We had a young, vibrant daughter, happy for the future in front of her.
04:38Today, we have a bag of bones discarded on the side of the motorbike.
04:45Detectives at the time hoped that analysis of new DNA found at the scene would lead to a suspect.
04:53But after years of degradation in the undergrowth, there was limited viable forensic evidence.
05:00I never really tried to sort of think what had happened because I just felt that was making things worse.
05:08It's difficult, but I just put it in a box and put the lid on it.
05:14I've asked the question why many times, and I think that's a question I'd like to get answered.
05:26Now, 30 years later, Detective Chief Inspector Ben Lavender is once again asking for information from the public to finally
05:35catch Melanie's killer.
05:38Melanie disappeared on the 8th of June 1996
05:42which was the opening day of the Euros finals
05:45where England played Switzerland
05:48Melanie had spent the day with her boyfriend
05:51and they all went out together with her friends
05:53and went to a barbecue that evening
05:57from the barbecue they went into the Cadillacs nightclub
06:04they had a pleasant evening until Melanie was seen dancing with another man
06:08and so Melanie's boyfriend decided to leave the club
06:13the last people to see Melanie alive
06:15was at 10 past 1 in the morning on the 9th of June
06:19and that was her friends who said goodbye to her
06:22and left the club thinking that she was going to go home with her boyfriend
06:28after that there were no verified sightings of Melanie
06:34it's a strong possibility that she left Cadillacs with her killer
06:38and we know that she collected her coat
06:40so we're confident she left the club
06:43but what we don't know is whether she got into someone's car
06:51the discovery of Melanie's remains in 2009
06:53was a massive jump forward for the investigation
06:57because we finally knew what had happened to Melanie
07:02what we didn't know is how she got there
07:05why she was murdered and who killed her
07:12to this day Melanie's family live in hope
07:17if someone was apprehended and convicted of Melanie's murder
07:21it won't bring closure but what it will do
07:25it will mean that the last thing that we've been able to do for Melanie
07:29is to bring or to see her killers brought to justice
07:34and we believe eventually we will get a result
07:40me and Mel were just young women in our 20s then
07:44and now I'm fast approaching 60 and daddy's 82
07:47and I worry how much longer will we have
07:51and will we ever know if we don't get our answer soon
07:59as we heard there a family just desperate for answers
08:03I'm joined now by DCI Ben Lavender from Avon and Somerset Police
08:06who you saw in the film there
08:07good to have you with us here in the studio Ben
08:10this has been a mystery for 30 years
08:12what are you hoping to achieve from this fresh appeal today
08:16yeah thank you
08:17as you can see this is almost 30 years now
08:20since Melanie went missing
08:22and we just really want to bring some answers to her family
08:25they're still deeply upset by what happened
08:28want to know what happened
08:29and so I'm really hoping today
08:31that someone may come forward with some information
08:33that takes the investigation forward
08:34fingers crossed
08:35so let's start with just reminding us
08:38where and when you'd like viewers to cast their minds back to
08:41yeah so Melanie went out on the 8th of June in 1996
08:45and that was the opening night of the Euros finals
08:47which was held in England
08:49England were playing Switzerland
08:50and Melanie went to the Cadillacs nightclub
08:53which is on Walcott Street in Bath
08:55she went there later in the evening with her friends
08:58and that was the last place that she was seen alive
09:02we can just see the Cadillacs club there on the map
09:06just talk us through what Melanie was wearing at the time
09:09yeah sure so she was wearing a silk blue dress
09:13we're confident this is an exact replica of the dress
09:16that she was wearing on the evening
09:17she had the black shoes that you see there
09:20and a black handbag with the silver drop earrings
09:24and she was wearing a white jacket
09:27and these items have never been recovered
09:29now it was some 15 years later wasn't it Ben
09:33that Melanie's remains were discovered
09:35and this did throw up some fresh clues for you didn't it
09:39yeah absolutely so sadly Melanie's remains were found
09:41on the side of the M5 motorway slip road
09:44at Junction 14 which is just north of Fulfield and Thornbury
09:48and Melanie was found without any of the items
09:52that I've previously described
09:53and she was wrapped in black bin liners with blue rope
09:59and as you can see on the screen these may be really significant
10:03talk us through the keys as well
10:06yeah so there were some Ford car keys found nearby
10:09to Melanie's body
10:11and it's obviously unusual to get three similar
10:14same keys all on one key ring
10:16you never found the corresponding car
10:19or the owner of the keys either did you
10:21no we didn't we've done lots of tests on the keys
10:24and previous appeals
10:25and we still don't know to this day where those keys came from
10:29and they may be really important
10:30who do you want to hear from today?
10:32yeah so it's really important for us today
10:34to hear from anyone who may have been in Cadillacs nightclub
10:38or is really concerned about someone
10:41with the three things really
10:43the fact that Melanie was found on the side of the M5
10:47at the Cadillacs nightclub itself
10:49and the blue rope and the bags
10:50I think if someone can cast their mind
10:52and that all those three things mean something
10:55we really really want to hear from them
10:57absolutely
10:57and finally there is a Crimestoppers rewarding connection
11:01to this case isn't there?
11:02yes there is
11:03Crimestoppers have been really supportive
11:04of this investigation over the years
11:06and they've put forward a £20,000 reward
11:08for any information that leads to the conviction
11:11of the killer of Melanie
11:13and so if people prefer to report this anonymously
11:17through Crimestoppers
11:18then that's available as well
11:19Ben thanks again for coming in and telling us more about this case
11:22fingers crossed somebody does come forward as I say
11:24thank you
11:25you can find that link on our website
11:27or get in touch using the contacts below
11:29if you have any information to share
11:32thanks Michelle
11:33I'm now with Police Sergeant Mike Rogers
11:35from Northamptonshire Police
11:36who needs your help to find this man
11:39this is Jasveer Singh
11:42he was one of our wanted faces
11:44on the series last time
11:47this is an interesting case Mike
11:49because you know who it is
11:51that you need to find
11:52you just don't know where he is
11:53what's his suspected involvement in?
11:56absolutely
11:56so this is unusual
11:58because it's a fraud committed by
11:59someone who's practising as a priest
12:02against one of his parishioners
12:03conning him out of his life savings
12:05of £114,000
12:07the pair met in India
12:09where our victim went on holiday with his family
12:11and Jasveer Singh was a priest out there
12:14they struck up a friendship
12:15and upon returning to England
12:17the victim returned to his own temple
12:21who were looking for a priest
12:22recommended Jasveer Singh
12:24and they sponsored him to come to the United Kingdom
12:26where he practised at the victim's local temple
12:31they continued their friendship
12:34during which the victim
12:37his behaviour changed massively
12:39and it transpired that Jasveer Singh
12:42had been telling him a pack of lies
12:44regarding a dispute in India
12:46over property and land
12:48a legal dispute
12:50which the victim believed
12:51and resulted in handing over his life savings
12:54£114,000
12:55absolutely staggering amount of money isn't it
12:57so how did you as the police
12:59get involved in this?
13:01well it was reported to us
13:02by the victim's family
13:03but not before they themselves
13:05tried to resolve it
13:06and the victim's son
13:07even flew out to India
13:08in order to check out the story
13:10given by Jasveer Singh
13:12which was deemed to be a pack of lies
13:14so once he was back in England
13:16they reported to the police
13:17and we took up the investigation
13:20OK, I mean it's obviously had a huge impact
13:22on not just the victim
13:23but the victim's family as well
13:24they've actually given us this statement
13:27after a lifetime of hard work
13:29our father was finally going to slow down
13:32and enjoy time with his family
13:33the impact of this was devastating
13:36today our once strong and active dad
13:39is now completely bed bound
13:40and our mum is his full-time carer
13:43we are speaking out to seek justice
13:45and to warn others
13:46that vulnerable parents can be targeted
13:50I mean they're really strong words there
13:51Mike, aren't they?
13:52and they actually believe
13:53that the frailty of the victim now
13:56is at least in part
13:58down to the actions
13:59of what happened with this man
14:00Yeah, absolutely
14:02Prior to meeting Jasveer Singh
14:04he was a robust individual
14:05took pride in himself
14:07his family
14:08loved his garden
14:09and it completely changed
14:11upon meeting Jasveer Singh
14:12his behaviour changed
14:14and resulted in having a stroke
14:17which, you know
14:18probably brought on by
14:19the stress of the situation
14:21the family had absolutely devastated
14:23because he's a shadow of his former self
14:25and not only that
14:26it's the financial impact as well
14:28of having his life savings taken
14:29Yes, massive isn't it?
14:31Now, he has been arrested
14:32he was charged
14:35he didn't get to court though
14:37what happened?
14:38Yes, CPS authorised charges
14:40after a lengthy investigation
14:41and he was due to attend court
14:43to face what he did
14:45unfortunately he didn't turn up
14:47and he's been wanted ever since
14:49we've been unable to locate him
14:51we get close sometimes
14:53but he's evaded capture
14:55so we're keen to get hold of him
14:56to put him before the courts
14:58to get justice for the family
14:59Now, he's evaded capture
15:00but he hasn't disappeared
15:01off the face of the earth
15:02because you've found him
15:03in cyberspace, haven't you?
15:04Here he is
15:05this is him actually
15:07working as a music artist
15:08you've discovered
15:09Absolutely
15:09he's going under the alias
15:11of Cobra Jet
15:13producing music videos
15:14and appears to be
15:15quite popular on YouTube
15:16with over a quarter of a million
15:17likes on his videos
15:19also selling his music
15:20on Amazon as well
15:22so he is out there
15:23and it appears to have
15:24quite a following
15:25so people do know
15:26who he is
15:26and where he is
15:27And just finally
15:28this is a targeted appeal
15:29especially to the Sikh community
15:31around the West Midlands perhaps
15:32who knows where this man could be
15:34that's what you want to hear from?
15:35Yes, we think he's in England
15:36well we know he's in England still
15:38in the region of the Midlands
15:40we believe
15:41and we do believe
15:42he's being protected by people
15:43so we urge people
15:44to come forward
15:45for justice for the family
15:47and also protect other people
15:48for becoming victims of him
15:50Mike, thank you
15:51we hope we can give you
15:52some answers today
15:52if you know anything
15:53that can help with this case
15:54all the ways to contact us
15:56are on the screen below
15:58Now from one con artist
16:00to another
16:00in our series of exclusive films
16:02on the biggest crimes
16:03across the UK
16:04we have an incredible story
16:06that you might have
16:07actually read about
16:08it involves one mastermind
16:09one con artist
16:11128,000 victims
16:13and 5 billion pounds worth
16:15of Bitcoin
16:19The figures didn't add up
16:21I've got a search warrant
16:23to search your house
16:26We were shocked
16:27the amounts involved
16:29were enormous
16:33At its peak
16:34it was worth
16:35just under 6 billion
16:38Police!
16:39Police!
16:48The landscape of economic crime
16:50is shifting
16:52The Met have a long history
16:55of investigating
16:56money laundering and fraud
16:59and this is just
17:01an application of new technology
17:03to old crime
17:05In late 2018
17:06police were contacted
17:08by solicitors
17:09dealing with the sale
17:10of a 24 million pound house
17:13in Totteridge Common, London
17:14being paid for with Bitcoin
17:17by a lady called
17:18Jian Wun
17:20Solicitors were suspicious
17:22of where the Bitcoin
17:23had come from
17:24I could see
17:25that Miss Wen
17:27had received a gift
17:28of 3,000 Bitcoins
17:29from somebody called
17:30Yadie Zhang
17:31and the claim was
17:33that these Bitcoins
17:34had been mined
17:37Cryptocurrency mining
17:38is a legal process
17:40that creates new Bitcoins
17:42and keeps the Bitcoin network secure
17:44Bitcoin mining
17:46comprises two parts
17:47The first part
17:48is moving Bitcoins around
17:51and a complex mathematical sum
17:53is needed to do that
17:55The second part
17:56is whoever manages
17:57to do that first
17:58gets rewarded
17:59with a certain number
18:00of Bitcoins
18:01Those Bitcoins
18:02are new
18:03fresh minted
18:05and they're added
18:05to the circulation
18:06and they're in
18:07the miner's wallet
18:09Police examined
18:11the public ledger
18:12of Bitcoin transactions
18:13known as a blockchain
18:14and this suggested
18:16a different story
18:17to Wun's
18:18We could see that
18:19the Bitcoins weren't mined
18:21they'd come from
18:21a crypto exchange
18:22rather than
18:23a first generation mining
18:24It seemed to be suspicious
18:26the figures
18:28the figures didn't add up
18:29and because it was suspicious
18:31I applied to the court
18:32and got an account freezing order
18:34which meant that the money
18:35in the solicitor's account
18:36was frozen
18:38With suspicions raised
18:40police delved further
18:42into Wun
18:43and discovered
18:44she was renting
18:44a mansion in Hampstead
18:46for £17,000 a month
18:48She had also just given solicitors
18:51an £850,000 deposit
18:53for the house sale
18:55They could see
18:56that money was coming
18:58from an unknown source
18:59and was being split
19:00into smaller payments
19:02in an attempt
19:03to avoid bank controls
19:05It appeared
19:06more likely
19:07that Miss Wun
19:08was involved
19:08in money laundering
19:09So I obtained
19:11a search warrant
19:11and on the 31st of October
19:15myself and the team
19:16went along
19:17and searched the address
19:37We searched the address
19:39and found
19:40hundreds of thousands
19:41of pounds
19:42There was
19:43£20,000 here
19:45£30,000 there
19:47Some of it was
19:48in nice bags
19:49wrapped up in tape
19:51Others were
19:51in handbags
19:53There was cash
19:54almost everywhere
19:55In total
19:56it was a touch
19:57over £300,000
19:58we found
19:59at the address
20:02Hello madam
20:03I appreciate you're in bed
20:04I've just got to
20:05record down your name
20:06During the raid
20:07police discovered
20:08another woman
20:09was also living
20:10at the address
20:11Can you spell
20:13that at all for me?
20:14Along with the seized cash
20:17they took the contents
20:19of a safety deposit box
20:20laptops
20:21and hard drives
20:22which were all
20:23heavily encrypted
20:26We suspected the bitcoins
20:28were from crime
20:28We had no evidence
20:30at that stage
20:31When they interviewed
20:33Jen Wan
20:34she said she was
20:35in fact working
20:36for Yadi Zhang
20:38the second woman
20:39the police found
20:40at the Hampstead property
20:42Miss Wen had given
20:43an account to
20:44the solicitors
20:45and banks
20:46that the bitcoins
20:48were mined
20:48by Miss Zhang
20:49and that she'd received
20:50a gift of 3,000 of them
20:52This was confirmed
20:53in her interview
20:54and she believed
20:55in her words
20:56that the bitcoins
20:57were mined
20:57However we know
20:58that that's not the case
20:59So she was
21:01either lying
21:03or being misled
21:04by Miss Zhang
21:04The suspicion was
21:06that these were
21:06from crime
21:09Police tried to contact
21:11Yadi Zhang
21:12but she had disappeared
21:13Then
21:14a breakthrough
21:16In July 2021
21:18police discovered
21:19Yadi Zhang
21:20was in fact
21:21called
21:22Chen Zemin
21:23She was a fugitive
21:25from China
21:28Chen Zemin
21:29was wanted
21:30in China
21:31for
21:31her role
21:33in orchestrating
21:34a
21:34truly gigantic
21:36investment fraud
21:38She had defrauded
21:40128,400 people
21:43between 2014
21:44and 2017
21:46Investors were
21:47promised
21:48massive returns
21:49and
21:50cajoled
21:51and convinced
21:52into investing
21:53more and more money
21:54into the scheme
21:55She would
21:57attend and lead
21:58large sales conferences
22:00and she had a
22:01almost supernatural
22:03aura to her
22:04which she cultivated
22:05very intentionally
22:06She made sure
22:08to wear a mask
22:09and really
22:10took quite a lot
22:11of steps
22:11to conceal
22:12her identity
22:12whilst also
22:13using her
22:15charisma
22:16to attract
22:17people into
22:17the scheme
22:19There was no evidence
22:20of this company
22:21really creating
22:22anything that would
22:23have been capable
22:23of generating
22:24any wealth
22:25and what there was
22:26a lot of evidence
22:26of was
22:28Chan Zemin
22:29spending a lot
22:30of investors' money
22:31purchasing Bitcoin
22:34In other words
22:35a scam
22:36akin to a Ponzi scheme
22:38In April 2017
22:40Chinese authorities
22:41began to investigate
22:43Chan Zemin
22:43which is when
22:45she fled the country
22:46taking the stolen
22:47Bitcoin with her
22:49Chan Zemin
22:50arrived in the UK
22:52in mid-September
22:532017
22:54having flown
22:55first class
22:57She arrived
22:58with only hand
22:59luggage
22:59One of the first
23:01things she did
23:01was open an account
23:02at Harrods
23:03and in the next
23:04three months
23:05spent about
23:06£90,000
23:07on various
23:08luxury items
23:11She recruited
23:12Jen Wan
23:13as a personal
23:14assistant
23:15Chan Wen
23:16after meeting
23:17Chan Zemin
23:19saw a massive
23:20change in her
23:21lifestyle
23:21Prior to
23:22Chan Zemin's
23:23arrival in the UK
23:24Wen was working
23:25in a Chinese
23:26takeaway
23:27in South East London
23:29They went on a little
23:30trip to Europe
23:31Germany and Switzerland
23:33going to
23:35expensive jewellery shops
23:37Stealing all the sites
23:38just spending lots of money
23:39really
23:41Jeanne Zemin
23:42was very paranoid
23:43and very security aware
23:45She would deliberately
23:46avoid to
23:48put her name to anything
23:50and any dealings
23:52she used
23:53Jeanne Wen
23:54as the front person
23:55to take those things
23:56forward
23:58They
23:59agreed to rent
24:00the Manor House
24:02property
24:02which was £17,500
24:03a month
24:06Wen's name
24:07was on the
24:07tenancy for that
24:08so she's
24:09moved from
24:10living above
24:10a takeaway
24:11to moving into
24:12a multi-million
24:13pound house
24:13in Hampstead
24:16Wan's main
24:17responsibility
24:17was to convert
24:19Bitcoin
24:19into cash
24:20We can see
24:22from the
24:23text messages
24:24on Wen's phone
24:25that she
24:26met with a
24:26guy called
24:27Ricky
24:27and they'd
24:28often meet
24:29and they'd
24:30exchange crypto
24:30for cash
24:31£20,000, £30,000
24:32£40,000
24:33at a time
24:33She met in
24:35supermarket car parks
24:36Wen told
24:38the buyer of the
24:39Bitcoin
24:39to avoid parking
24:41in front of CCTV
24:41so that shows
24:42very much
24:43the clandestine
24:44nature
24:45that they
24:45were operating in
24:47one claimed
24:48she didn't know
24:49that Bitcoin
24:49had come from
24:50criminal means
24:51but her actions
24:52were suspicious
24:54She searches
24:56for the
24:56Money Laundering Act
24:58and also
24:59countries that
25:00extradite to
25:01China
25:04None of this
25:04is something
25:05that an innocent
25:05person would do
25:09It's always
25:10really exciting
25:10when you get
25:12to that stage
25:12of an investigation
25:23Well it's an
25:24almost unimaginable
25:26amount of money
25:27but you may ask
25:28what happens
25:29to any cash
25:29or assets
25:30from what are
25:31seized from
25:31criminals
25:32Well we can tell
25:33you a sizable
25:34portion of it
25:35is often invested
25:36back into
25:37communities
25:37and given
25:38to charities
25:39We're now with
25:40Scott Jenkinson
25:41who runs
25:41Youth Sheds
25:42a charity
25:42that benefits
25:43from such funding
25:44Really good to
25:45have you with us
25:46and to find out
25:47more about
25:47Youth Sheds
25:48How did it
25:48all begin
25:49for you Scott?
25:50Back in 2017
25:51in a place
25:53called the Havod
25:53in Denbigh
25:54I had the
25:56privilege of
25:56working with
25:57a small group
25:57of young people
25:58and we worked
26:00together on
26:00a young person's
26:02response to
26:02antisocial behaviour
26:04and the first
26:05Youth Shed
26:06was born
26:08and it sort of
26:10spiralled from there
26:10You've got 12
26:1212 Youth Sheds
26:13across North Wales
26:1412 Sheds
26:15across North Wales
26:16and South Wales
26:17now
26:18and the vision
26:18is a Youth Shed
26:19in every town
26:20a community
26:21of young people
26:22connected
26:23across counties
26:25doing wonderful
26:26things for their
26:26community
26:27Fantastic
26:27so it's gone
26:28from nothing
26:28to 12
26:30this is one
26:31of your sheds
26:31but this shed
26:32has wheels
26:32Scott
26:33this one's got wheels
26:34so tell me about
26:34this
26:35why the bus
26:35what does it do?
26:36is affectionately
26:37known as Betsy
26:38I am Betsy
26:39so Betsy
26:41is often our
26:41first point of
26:42contact
26:42with the young
26:43people that we
26:44want to work
26:44with
26:45this will go out
26:46onto the streets
26:47and we'll do
26:48things like VR
26:48we'll do
26:49engagement
26:49we can see that
26:50there
26:50they're the goggles
26:51aren't they
26:51the white goggles
26:52we can see now
26:53VR
26:53what can they do
26:53with those?
26:54well we've actually
26:55made films with
26:55them with our
26:56young people
26:56on county lines
26:57and knife crime
26:58so we can use
26:59it for education
27:00but it's also
27:01a good engagement
27:02tool
27:06used to be
27:07a project
27:08called the bus stop
27:09and then that finished
27:10and we saw it
27:11in a car park
27:12and I got one
27:13of my young people
27:14Sonia
27:14to put out
27:15one of our logos
27:16on it
27:16and we sent
27:17a cheeky email
27:18saying
27:18look good as a youth shed
27:20and they
27:21kind of said
27:22come and get it
27:23that's fantastic
27:24and you've had
27:25some real success
27:26I mean
27:26to the standard
27:27of Prince William
27:28has come to visit
27:29your youth sheds
27:30he came just
27:31at the end of last year
27:32oh look at this
27:33he came to visit
27:34and he met
27:35he met
27:36probably about
27:3730 odd
27:37of our young people
27:38and yeah
27:39he was amazing
27:40and it was just
27:40a beautiful day
27:41for the young people
27:42to celebrate
27:43what they do
27:43and we know
27:44this means so much
27:45to you Scott
27:46I mean this is
27:47a personal mission
27:48for you isn't it
27:49I'm a Christian
27:51but before that
27:53I was a heroin addict
27:55I was street homeless
27:56I was in and out of prison
27:58and I had an encounter
27:59in 2008
28:01that turned my life
28:02upside down
28:02and now
28:03you know
28:03I'm no longer an addict
28:04I'm a husband
28:05I'm a father
28:06I'm a son
28:07and my faith
28:08I say is the fuel
28:09and this is quite literally
28:10the vehicle
28:12that's
28:12you know
28:13I've got a personal
28:16mission
28:17against County Lines
28:18County Lines destroys lives
28:20it destroys children's lives
28:21and
28:22I hope
28:23and I see
28:24that youth sheds
28:25can help young people
28:27with
28:27with what I got
28:28from my faith
28:29was identity
28:30purpose
28:30and belonging
28:31and I believe
28:32if we can
28:33build that
28:33in young people
28:34a pro-social identity
28:36a sense of belonging
28:38a place in the community
28:40where they feel valued
28:41and that it's their community
28:43I believe
28:44we can really
28:45impact some lives
28:46and it's through
28:47things like this
28:48your community
28:49your choice
28:49from the police
28:51and crime commissioner
28:51Andy Dumbobbin
28:52in North Wales
28:53you know
28:54it's a perfect example
28:55of using that money
28:56because
28:56the
28:57members of the public
28:58vote
28:58for the project
29:00so the community
29:02gets a say
29:02in where the money goes
29:04and then we use
29:05that money then
29:06for the young people
29:08to do
29:08good projects
29:09in their community
29:10well let's talk about that
29:11part of the funding
29:12then
29:12because
29:13there is money
29:14that's come
29:15that's been part of this project
29:16that has come from
29:17criminals
29:17initially
29:18and you've been able to bid
29:20to put it into
29:20a massively good cause
29:22like this
29:23how do you feel
29:24about that money
29:25sort of doing a full circle
29:26I love it
29:26I love it
29:27because my life's
29:28come full circle
29:28from addict
29:30criminal
29:31to teacher
29:31and now
29:32chief shed planter
29:34I call this
29:34I'm not a CEO
29:36I don't like a CEO
29:37but now you know
29:38we've had young people
29:39come to this van
29:40who it's been their
29:41first part of contact
29:42with a young girl
29:43called Saskia
29:44didn't have a voice
29:45now she's got such a voice
29:46she challenges us
29:47about what we're doing
29:47in the community
29:48for young people
29:49that's perfect
29:50another lad
29:51Kaylin
29:52was referred by police
29:54and he's just become
29:55a police cadet
29:56three years down the line
29:57another lad
29:59Owen
29:59he's designed that t-shirt
30:01at the back there
30:01as part of our
30:02so that t-shirt we see
30:03inside the van
30:04that's actually
30:05that logo was designed
30:07by one of your youngsters
30:09our OG as we call him
30:10he's absolutely
30:12flourishing now
30:13you know
30:13but really
30:14didn't flourish
30:16in education
30:16and you know
30:18so but we met him
30:19on the van
30:19we started a relationship
30:20we've mentored
30:22we've journeyed together
30:23and two weeks ago
30:25he actually taught me
30:26mountain biking
30:28oh really
30:28so you know what I mean
30:29that's what we want to see
30:31young people
30:32not necessarily
30:33coming full circle
30:34but just being the best
30:35version of themselves
30:36and imagine that
30:38in every town
30:38a youth shed
30:39in every town
30:40connected
30:41I can see it
30:41connected
30:43county lines for good
30:44well done Scott
30:45great project
30:46well done
30:47fantastic work you're doing
30:48really appreciate you
30:49telling us more
30:49brilliant
30:50and actually these
30:51initiatives are available
30:52throughout the UK
30:53so check online
30:53for more details
30:54in your area
30:55we're going back now
30:56to the hunt for the
30:57mastermind
30:58behind one of the
30:59world's largest ever
31:01bitcoin frauds
31:04while police stepped up
31:06their search for fugitive
31:07chen jimin
31:08they continued
31:09digging into her finances
31:14uncovering 61,000 bitcoin
31:17the largest seizure
31:19of crypto currency
31:20in the world
31:21and today
31:22worth almost
31:234.5 billion pounds
31:28we were shocked
31:29the amounts involved
31:31were enormous
31:32and still are
31:33enormous
31:35the hump was on
31:37to find fugitive
31:38mastermind
31:39chen jimin
31:41in early 2024
31:43we knew that she still
31:44had access to some
31:45cryptocurrency
31:46the wallet that
31:47we had identified
31:49had actually not had
31:50any use since
31:512019
31:54we knew chen jimin
31:55was very good
31:57at covering her tracks
31:58by this point
31:59the trail really
32:00had gone quite cold
32:11and then in
32:12February 2024
32:13the dormant wallet
32:15sprung to life
32:178.2 bitcoin
32:19were transferred
32:20to an exchange account
32:21of a man called
32:23sen hok ling
32:26knowing what we knew
32:27about chen jimin
32:28we knew that
32:29she would hire people
32:32to assist her
32:33and carry out
32:34her dirty work
32:34sen hok ling
32:36had access
32:37to some of the funds
32:39that were still
32:40outstanding in this case
32:41it also suggested
32:42that he may be in contact
32:43with chen jimin herself
32:47the unit spent
32:49six weeks
32:49trailing ling
32:51across the country
32:52he was exhibiting
32:54a really unusual
32:55pattern of lifestyle
32:57sen hok ling
32:58was driving
32:59long distances
33:00in his car
33:01from his home address
33:02to seemingly
33:05unconnected
33:06locations
33:07he was hiring
33:08short-term rental
33:10properties
33:10in usually
33:12alias names
33:13that heightened
33:15that heightened
33:15our suspicion
33:15that his activity
33:17was aimed
33:19at concealing
33:20what he was up to
33:22the turning point
33:24came when
33:25we identified
33:26an address
33:27in the highlands
33:28in Scotland
33:32we approached
33:33the owner
33:34of the premises
33:35she did mention
33:36that it had been
33:37hired by a male
33:38who matched
33:40the description
33:40of sen hok ling
33:41but she also
33:42gave us a really
33:43really crucial
33:45clue
33:48she mentioned
33:49that they were
33:50travelling
33:51with a
33:53woman who
33:54sen hok ling
33:55had described
33:56as his elderly
33:57mother
33:57and he'd suggested
33:59that she
34:01was not very well
34:02and she was not
34:03to have any
34:03contact with
34:04anyone
34:06it seems
34:07we might have
34:08just missed
34:08them
34:11luckily
34:11police could
34:12obtain CCTV
34:14from one of
34:15the rented
34:15properties
34:16they'd stayed
34:17in
34:17and it
34:18confirmed
34:18their suspicions
34:20it was the
34:21first time
34:21that she'd
34:22been seen
34:23on camera
34:23since 2019
34:25we're very
34:26lucky we got
34:26that CCTV
34:27there's just
34:28a moment
34:29before she
34:29puts the
34:30scarf over
34:31her head
34:31but that
34:32really gives
34:32you a sense
34:32of how
34:34careful she
34:35was in
34:35the very
34:36short periods
34:37of time
34:37that she
34:37was ever
34:38outdoors
34:48in april
34:492024
34:49police conducted
34:51a dawn raid
34:52on a property
34:52in york
34:54i remember
34:55going into
34:56the bedroom
34:57with chris
34:58and immediately
35:00recognising
35:00the woman
35:01in the bed
35:01as chan jimin
35:05police
35:09i think she was
35:10obviously in a bit
35:11of shock
35:11i mean
35:12we went through
35:12the door
35:12before 6am
35:30she'd been on the run
35:31for several years
35:32she was clearly
35:34in a bit of shock
35:39i collected
35:40i collected
35:41miss jan
35:41from her cell
35:42and brought her
35:43to the interview
35:44room
35:46and she was hunched
35:48over
35:48very meek and mild
35:50and pleasant
35:50she was hunched over
35:52walking very slowly
35:53pigeon steps
35:55and she brought her
35:56into the interview
35:57room
35:57where she could sit
35:58down
35:58she was obviously
36:00pretending
36:00to be very ill
36:02i asked her about
36:03why she was walking
36:05so slowly
36:06and carefully
36:07when i'd seen her
36:08on video
36:08about a week earlier
36:09walking normally
36:10and she got very
36:11upset by that
36:12which was ironic
36:13because when i
36:15accused her of
36:16stealing from 128,000
36:17people
36:18she wasn't upset
36:19by that at all
36:24i think the acting
36:27pretending she was
36:28ill and infirm
36:29and being polite
36:30it's all part
36:32of her manipulation
36:33she's very good
36:35at playing
36:36targeting people
36:38getting them to
36:39believe what she wants
36:40and this must be true
36:42if you look at
36:43the number of people
36:44that she was able
36:44to defraud
36:45some very clever
36:46people in china
36:47and fell for her
36:48lies
36:49chien jimin
36:50was sentenced
36:52to 11 years
36:538 months
36:53for a charge
36:54of possessing
36:55and a charge
36:57of transferring
36:58cryptocurrency
36:59sen hok ling
37:01was sentenced
37:02to 4 years
37:03and 11 months
37:04for a charge
37:05of transferring
37:06cryptocurrency
37:06and chien wang
37:09was sentenced
37:10to 6 years
37:118 months
37:12for money laundering
37:13the amount of
37:15bitcoin seized
37:16in this case
37:16is enormous
37:18it's more than
37:20the gross domestic
37:21product of some
37:22countries
37:23it is so huge
37:24you can't comprehend
37:26it
37:31i was really proud
37:32of the work
37:33of the team
37:34so many officers
37:35gave really
37:37unwavering support
37:39to this investigation
37:40and applied
37:41their skills
37:43and their experience
37:44and their passion
37:45to bringing it
37:46home
37:46so it was a real
37:47privilege to be a part
37:48of that
37:56what an epic
37:57investigation
37:58and as a direct result
37:59of those seizures
38:00the met have set up
38:01the country's first
38:02dedicated
38:03cryptocurrency
38:04investigation team
38:05that will focus
38:06on cryptocurrency
38:07use within
38:08organised crime
38:09i'm now joined
38:10i'm now joined
38:10by detective
38:11sergeant
38:11rebecca
38:11corse
38:12and she was
38:13part of the
38:13wider investigation
38:14team
38:14and works in
38:15fraud prevention
38:16at the met
38:17really good to
38:17have you with us
38:18let's talk about
38:19the stats first
38:20of all rebecca
38:21around cryptocurrency
38:22because they're
38:23alarming aren't they
38:24yes they are
38:25and over the last
38:26financial year
38:27there's been 26 000
38:28reports of investment
38:29fraud made in the
38:30uk with losses
38:31totalling over
38:32757 million
38:33pounds
38:3429% of those
38:35reports refer to
38:37cryptocurrency in
38:37some way
38:38with bitcoin
38:38being the most
38:40commonly mentioned
38:41and the way that
38:42technology is changing
38:43is making it much
38:44easier for criminals
38:45to commit these
38:46types of fraud
38:46so social media
38:47makes it a lot
38:48easier for them
38:49to contact us
38:49and deep fakes
38:50and ai make the
38:51content that they're
38:52creating seem
38:53really really real
38:54so it's my team's
38:55responsibility as
38:56well as a network
38:57of other teams
38:57around the country
38:58to raise awareness
38:59of these types of
39:00crime and give
39:00people advice on
39:01how to avoid
39:01becoming a victim
39:02are there certain
39:03age groups that
39:04are targeted more
39:05than others
39:05so for this
39:07specific type of
39:09investment fraud
39:10it's impacting
39:11younger people
39:12than we see
39:12in other types
39:13of investment
39:13fraud
39:14so men
39:14age 30 to 49
39:16and what are
39:17some of the
39:17common dangers
39:18and concerns
39:19relating to
39:20cryptocurrency
39:21would you say
39:22cryptocurrency
39:23operates in a
39:24different way
39:24to financial
39:25asset
39:25other types
39:26of financial
39:26assets
39:27which makes
39:27it difficult
39:28for law enforcement
39:29to take action
39:29if things go
39:30wrong
39:30we also see
39:32technology being
39:33abused by criminals
39:34for committing
39:34these types of
39:35offenses too
39:36so creating
39:38fake adverts
39:39which seem really
39:40real to encourage
39:41people to invest
39:42also creating
39:44platforms or
39:45websites that look
39:46like investments
39:47are going up in
39:48value
39:49in some cases
39:50criminals will
39:51allow people to
39:52withdraw small
39:53amounts of the
39:54investment to start
39:55with to help build
39:56up the confidence
39:56in the scheme
39:57and it's only when
39:59massive amounts
39:59have been invested
40:00that they'll
40:01disappear with the
40:02funds and won't
40:02allow any further
40:03withdrawals
40:04we also see a
40:05secondary type of
40:06fraud being
40:06committed where
40:08criminals will
40:09pay us as
40:09financial advisors
40:10or solicitors
40:11who say that
40:11they can help
40:12get the funds
40:13back from the
40:13initial investment
40:14fraud
40:14sadly this is
40:15another type of
40:16fraud that's been
40:17designed to get
40:17more money out of
40:18the victim who's
40:19already lost a
40:20considerable amount
40:20of money
40:21it's awful
40:21it's just so sneaky
40:22the tactics that
40:23they use as well
40:24isn't it
40:24I mean how can
40:25anybody verify
40:27that an investment
40:28is legitimate
40:30the first thing
40:31that we're wanting
40:31people to do is
40:32to stop
40:34don't be rushed
40:35into making a
40:35decision
40:36and traditional
40:37legitimate
40:38investment companies
40:40won't put pressure
40:41on you to make
40:42quick financial
40:43decisions
40:43we then want you
40:44to think
40:45so is what's
40:46being advertised
40:46guaranteed high
40:47returns or being
40:48advertised as no
40:49risk
40:49all types of
40:51investments have
40:51a degree of risk
40:53and investments can
40:53go down as well
40:54as up
40:54so any companies
40:56that are advertising
40:57otherwise should be
40:58treated with concern
40:59we then want people
41:01to check
41:01so is the firm
41:02regulated with the
41:03financial conduct
41:03authority
41:04dealing with an
41:05unregulated firm
41:06means that you
41:07might not be
41:07covered if things
41:08go wrong
41:09we also then want
41:10people to do some
41:11research
41:11so criminals are
41:13really good at
41:14creating content
41:15that looks real
41:16and people shouldn't
41:17trust anything that's
41:18being sent to them
41:18directly by these
41:19companies
41:20because it might be
41:21fraudulent
41:21so we want people to
41:23check independent
41:23reviews
41:24the FCA website
41:25or company's house
41:27to make sure that
41:28they're dealing with
41:28the actual
41:29firm
41:29and it's not a
41:30near identical
41:31copy of what is
41:32a real firm
41:33we then also want
41:34people to speak to
41:35friends
41:35family
41:36or a professional
41:38trusted financial
41:39advisor
41:39before making any
41:40financial decisions
41:41really good advice
41:43there
41:43and it isn't just
41:44the financial impact
41:45that this type of
41:46fraud can have on
41:47victims is it
41:47no
41:48and sadly the impact
41:49of fraud is massive
41:50and as you said
41:51not just the
41:52financial impact
41:53in some cases
41:54we've seen
41:55breakdowns of
41:55relationships
41:56losses of homes
41:57not being able
41:57to pay for bills
41:58and really big
41:59impacts on mental
42:00health
42:01including in some
42:01really tragic cases
42:02people committing
42:03suicide
42:04and we've just got
42:05this here because
42:05it's important for
42:06people to report
42:07they can report
42:07to report for
42:08dot police dot uk
42:09can't they
42:10yes that's the new
42:11reporting platform
42:12for fraud and cyber
42:13crime in the uk
42:13and people can get
42:15help once they've
42:15made a report
42:16rebecca thanks so
42:17much for joining us
42:18this morning in
42:19telling us more
42:20the pet of the met
42:21has put together
42:21some useful information
42:22actually on how you
42:23can protect yourself
42:24from cyber crime
42:25which you can find
42:26on our website
42:28just got time for a
42:29quick update for you
42:30last series we asked
42:31for help to find this
42:32man christopher
42:33spellman who had
42:34been released from
42:34prison last summer
42:36he had been sentenced
42:37to seven years in
42:382014 for offences
42:39including sexually
42:40assaulting a girl
42:41under 14 he was put
42:43on a sex offenders
42:43register for life
42:45but then after his
42:46release he refused
42:47to stick to the
42:48conditions of his
42:48license so police
42:49launched a series of
42:50public appeals to
42:51find him they
42:52believe the 66 year
42:53old was living off
42:54grid traveling around
42:55the uk on public
42:56transport saying
42:57staying in campsites
42:58well in february he
43:00appeared at crown
43:00court for sentencing
43:02in swansea after
43:02pleading guilty to
43:03breaching sexual
43:04offender notification
43:05requirements he was
43:07sentenced to 10
43:08months in custody
43:09that's it for today
43:11thanks for watching
43:11remember you can
43:12catch us on iplayer
43:13or see those appeals
43:14on our website
43:14do check out our
43:16facebook page as
43:16well some clips
43:17from this series
43:18already had nearly a
43:19million views this
43:20week hello it's
43:21fantastic michelle
43:22you're going to be
43:23back with us on
43:23monday i certainly am
43:24and you're going to
43:25be joined by steph
43:26mcgovern tomorrow
43:26i am and we've got
43:27a busy one we've got
43:28a plea from the
43:28heartbroken family of
43:2916 year old amand
43:31shakur he was killed
43:32in walthamstow london
43:33in 2018
43:37we're still baffled
43:38you know why did this
43:39happen who did it why
43:40would they want to do
43:41it
43:42what could a 16 year
43:45old have done which
43:45was so bad to be shot
43:47in the face
43:49do you know anything
43:50that can help his
43:51grieving family find
43:52peace i'll see you next
43:53monday
43:54and i'll see you
43:55tomorrow same time
43:55745 bye for now
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