Chichester man Frank Ludlow avoids jail for making fake Covid-19 treatment kits
and live on Freeview channel 276
Frank Ludlow, 59, appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court after he was arrested by City of London Police in March over supplying fraudulent ‘self-assembly’ Covid-19 treatment kits, was sentenced to 10 months jail suspended for two years.
Ludlow, of East Marden, near Chichester, will also have to complete 170 hours of unpaid work after admitting three fraud charges including attempting to supply an unauthorised medicinal product, as well as possessing and assembling an unauthorised product.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe defendant, who was initially set to face a five-day trial starting on August 17, was arrested at a Post Office near his home after 60 coronavirus ‘treatment kits’ were seized by police in the US.
The kits, which were intercepted by Customs and Border Protection Agency officers in Los Angeles, were labelled as ‘Anti-Pathogenic treatment’ and had been sent from the UK, City of London Police said.
They allegedly contained chemicals which are ‘extremely harmful’ when the user is instructed to wash and rinse their mouth with them.
Police also found 300 treatment kits and an estimated 20 litres of chemicals at Ludlow’s home.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOfficers stopped 60 fake treatment kits from being sent from a Post Office to France, the US, and other parts of the UK, City of London Police previously said.
Ludlow was arrested by the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit after it was contacted by its US counterparts.
The court heard Ludlow made approximately £12,000 from selling the fake kits online, which sold for between £1 and £100, but cost only £1 to make.
The kits contained hydrogen peroxide concentration; potassium thiocyanate, ascorbic acid, an unknown enzyme as well as Bees Pollen.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDetective chief superintendent Clinton Blackburn, from the City of London Police, said after the sentence: ‘Criminals are preying on people’s fears and anxieties, using the coronavirus outbreak to take their money.‘The kits produced by Ludlow were unlawful and untested. They gave false hope to vulnerable people and their families, offering no medical benefit. This raises the possibility that people with Covid-19 could believe they were cured, thereby inadvertently exposing others to infection.
‘The swift, joined-up action taken by police and our regulatory partners across the globe, shows there are no boundaries to our work in fighting fraud, protecting the public and bringing criminals to justice, even during these unprecedented times.’
Tariq Sarwar, head of operations for enforcement at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said: ‘Making and selling fake coronavirus treatment kits is endangering patients’ health and increasing the risk of contagion to their families and friends.
‘This joint cooperation and intervention with the City of London Police and the FDA show our commitment to protect patients’ health. It is important that people who put other people’s health in danger are brought to justice, and the products are taken out of circulation.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad‘Please seek advice from a registered healthcare professional if you have medical concerns, and only buy medicines and medical devices from a registered pharmacy or website.’
Dr Ros Lynch, director of copyright enforcement for the Intellectual Property Office added: ‘This is an outstanding result for the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit and serves as a reminder that consumers can protect themselves, and their family, by only buying medicines from legitimate sources.’
Anyone who thinks they have been a victim of fraud can report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.