Wallington pensioner jailed after fleecing leading London theatre figures

Tony Barlow, 70, from Park Hill Road, Wallington, was handed a 40-month sentence after stealing more than £100,000 from operatic producer Alan Sievewright, 73, and literary agent Elspeth Cochrane, 94.

Mr Sievewright was suffering from poor health and Miss Cochrane was registered as blind and deaf when Barlow “leeched” their savings and “wormed” his way into their lives.

Barlow’s first victim was long-term friend Mr Sievewright, a well-known operatic and theatrical impresario who was responsible for bringing young tenor Jose Carreras to the UK.

Mr Sievewright, who died in 2007, was a giant in the world of opera and worked with tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo and counted luminaries such as Princess Diana, Ava Gardner and Marlene Dietrich as friends.

Sieve Wright with Princess Diana

His theatrical company, Iambic Productions, showcased the talents of performers such as Rudolf Nureyev, Monseratt Caballe and Maria Callas to the world.

Barlow was working for the London Festival Ballet when he met Mr Sievewright and the pair became friends.

But as his friend’s health began to deteriorate in the 1990s, Barlow gradually assumed control over his finances.

This culminated in the systematic daily withdrawal of cash from ATMs, followed by large cheques and eventually full bank transfers from Mr Sievewright’s account to his own.

The prosecution alleged that more than £100,000 was taken in total.

The con was only discovered after Beverley Anderson, Mr Sievewright’s niece, found discrepancies in her uncle’s accounts after his death in 2007, and contacted police.

Sieve Wright with Luciano Pavarotti

They found Barlow had been helping himself to another bank account belonging to legendary literary agent Miss Cochrane, who lived in her Clapham Common home.

Miss Cochrane, completely unaware of Barlow’s activities, had built up a roster of clients since the 1960s and was credited with discovering Sir Ian McKellen.

The 94-year-old was one of the first people to write scripts on British television and worked with iconic actor James Mason.

According to friends of Miss Cochrane, who were at the sentencing, Sir Ian will visit her at home once he has finished recording The Hobbit in New Zealand.

Despite her age Miss Cochrane’s company Elspeth Cochrane Personal Management was still a lucrative business because royalties from deceased clients were constantly being paid into its accounts.

Police discovered that Barlow only turned his attentions to Miss Cochrane after he bled Mr Sievewright’s accounts dry.

During 2007 Barlow helped her on a voluntary basis after being recommended by a mutual friend.

But due to her poor health he gradually gained unrestricted access to her bank accounts and “leeched” a total £63,000 over two years.

When police contacted Miss Cochrane they discovered the previously comfortable pensioner was in dire straits financially with accounts overdrawn, letters from bailiffs and unpaid bills.

She had planned to move into Denville Hall, in Middlesex, which is a care home for retired professional actors and actresses.

But the theft of her life-savings means she can no longer afford to move into the expensive care home.

In a victim impact statement, read out in court, Miss Cochrane told of her humiliation and horror at finding out she had lost all of her money and could not move into Denville Hall.

In a strange twist of fate, Barlow, labelled “greedy and stupid” by Judge Ruth Downing, was himself eventually swindled out of his ill-gotten gains after foolishly investing the money in a bogus Nigerian firm.

Documents from Western Union proving transfers of enormous sums had taken place were found strewn across Barlow’s Wallington flat including cards and cheques belonging to both victims.

Barlow, who served a 12-month sentence in the 1980s for forgery, also told the court he began stealing the money after his Russian lover fled the country with his own life-savings in 2004.

Judge Downing, who ridiculed the attempted mitigation of Barlow’s barrister, said: “It was undoubtedly a long-standing friendship with Mr Sievewright and you repaid that by systematically taking his money.

“When he died and was no longer available to milk, you moved on to Miss Cochrane and I’ve no doubt you thought the lady might die before the trial.”

DS Andy Wickens was lauded in equal measure by the judge, prosecution and friends and family of the two victims.

It was also noted that the detective had battled with local authorities in a bid to nullify Miss Cochrane’s unwarranted bills and even fought off BT who had tried to cut off her phone.

Sievewright’s niece Mrs Anderson said: “Without DS Wickens hard work this case may not have reached the courtroom. “Hopefully the sentence will act a deterrent to anyone else doing the same thing.

“The Big Society means more people will be relying on the trust of strangers and this sort of thing can’t be allowed to happen again.”

Even more gallingly, Barlow actually penned Mr Sievewright’s obituary in the Guardian newspaper after his friend’s death in March 2007.

DS Wickens, who has led the investigation since 2007, said: “You can’t fail to get personally involved in a case like this. It was an appalling breach of trust.”

Barlow, appearing at Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft.