'Loan shark hunters' make first catch

A loan shark who made around £800,000 by targeting vulnerable people has been jailed after becoming the first person to be caught by a new government funded team of loan shark hunters.

Mark Washington Johnson, known as Arnie, of Eggington Road, Birmingham, was arrested following a tip-off to Birmingham Trading Standards new illegal money lending team.

He was jailed for three years and nine months at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, after admitting charges of blackmail, illegal money lending and a string of other offences.

The court heard how Johnson would carry around large amounts of cash and make on-the-spot loans of £100 and upwards, usually adding around the same amount in interest.

However, if a borrower missed a payment, he would usually add a penalty to the amount. Johnson would also threaten people with physical violence or taking their possessions if they were unable to pay him back and regularly failed to tell people how much they still owed.

The team found evidence that Johnson had intimidated elderly people and those on disability benefits, who were unable to meet the rates of interest, and even kept disability benefits books when people were unable to pay him.

Prior to his arrest, the illegal money lending team found that Johnson was attempting to buy a £500,000 house. He was said to have enjoyed a "luxurious lifestyle", which included a string of expensive cars.

Commenting on the sentencing, Consumer Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said: "Loan sharks prey on the most vulnerable people in our communities and we are determined to stop them operating and making money out of misery."

Councillor Neil Eustace, Chair of Birmingham Trading Standards Public Protection Committee added: "Loan sharks are not community spirited. They prey on the most vulnerable and line their own pockets at the expense of those that can least afford it. I want to reassure people that if they come forward, we will help them in the strictest confidence.

"We will support anybody that is undergoing persecution by a loan shark. The team are trained to deal sensitively with victims of loan sharks and we will use the full weight of the law at our disposal to stamp out this illegal activity."

(KMcA/SP)