Notorious romance fraudster Mark Acklom has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against a £125,000 confiscation order meant to repay his victim, Carolyn Woods, after posing as an MI6 agent to steal her life savings. Lord Justice Fraser ruled at the Court of Appeal that the Proceeds of Crime Act order must stand, stating that the law’s purpose would be undermined if the appeal succeeded.
Court of Appeal Rejects Mark Acklom Confiscation Order Challenge
Mark Acklom asked the Court of Appeal to overturn a Bristol Crown Court confiscation order issued in December 2025 requiring him to repay £125,000 to Carolyn Woods. Lord Justice Fraser dismissed the challenge, noting that Acklom had lied about his name, marital status, and genuine feelings of love after meeting Woods in a Tetbury clothes shop in 2012.
“He said he wanted to marry her, and having duped her he took advantage of her trust and defrauded her,” Lord Justice Fraser said, adding that “there is nothing an innocent person such as his victim could do.”
Acklom pleaded guilty in 2019 to £300,000 worth of fraud against Woods, though Woods has consistently stated that her actual losses reached approximately £850,000. During the relationship, Acklom put Woods up in a luxury rental house in Bath, Somerset, but financed it using her own stolen money.
Legal Arguments Over Proceeds of Crime Act Assets and Foreign Fines
During the appeal hearing, defense barrister Martin Sharpe argued that a previous fine of €423,000 (£361,542) levied against Acklom in Spain should reduce the available assets calculated under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Sharpe told the court he could not dissent from depriving a defendant of criminal benefit, but maintained that recovery must remain within the defendant’s actual means.
Prosecutor John Hardy KC countered that the purpose of the legislation would be defeated if Acklom’s “unlimited ingenuity” allowed him to reduce his available assets by factoring in unpaid foreign fines. Lord Justice Fraser agreed with the prosecution, confirming that the confiscation order remains fully enforceable.
The Ministry of Justice previously stated that authorities take all possible steps to ensure offenders satisfy debts owed to victims, including seizing funds from salaries or benefits, with non-payment resulting in additional prison time. Despite these measures, Carolyn Woods told the BBC she has given up hope that the criminal justice system will provide any meaningful financial recovery.
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