John Hirst's wife loses her appeal

Hirst had set up a sham investment company here on the island and was found guilty of having conned investors out of some ten million pounds by his Ponzi scheme. His 62-year-old wife, who the court said enjoyed a lavish and luxurious life on the island, was jailed for two-and-a-half years for three counts of money laundering and one of evading a liability by deception.

She was found guilty of having laundered an estimated three quarters of a million pounds and of failing to declare extra income to creditors, to whom she had agreed to repay debts amassed in 2000.

This week, three judges at London's Court of Appeal rejected her appeal on the grounds that she had “offered carefully constructed” lies.
They all agreed that she deserved the jail term and that it will stand.
The couple moved to the island in 2003 and Hirst soon set up his investment scam offering huge returns from bogus investments on the US stock market.
He is also thought to have conned expatriates in France as well.
Married
In 2006, they got married with a hugely extravagant ceremony and in 2005 Hirst bought a large villa here on the island which he spent a great deal of money on having renovated.

However, the court heard how he lost nearly half of the ten million pounds he had raised by conning expatriates into investing in his Ponzi scheme.
When the story first broke it shocked the local community, John and Linda Hirst were well known on the island and had many friends.
Now though, many of those friends are still battling to try and recover the money they lost through their investments in the Hirst scam.