Arrest after Luton clergyman reports his home stolen

A man has been arrested on suspicion of fraud after a vicar told how he returned home to find it had been sold without his knowledge.

Reverend Mike Hall was working in north Wales when he received a call from his neighbours on 20 August to say someone was staying at the house in Luton.

A BBC investigation found Mr Hall's identity had been stolen and used to sell the house and bank the proceeds.

The man is being held on suspicion of fraud by false representation.

Bedfordshire Police said the man, from Bedford, was arrested at his home address this morning.

The morning after the phone call from his neighbours, Mr Hall drove to his property.

"I went to the front door, tried my key in the front door, it didn't work and a man opened the front door to me," he told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours.

Mr Hall said his home had been "completely stripped" of all furniture and furnishings.

The man at the property said he was doing building work and contacted the new owner's father who said he had bought the terraced house in July.

Mr Hall said: "We then tried to access the Land Registry documentation online to find out whose name appeared... and it is, in fact, as of 4 August, this man's name."

Det Insp James Day, head of the force's serious fraud investigation unit, said: "This arrest marks significant progress in this investigation.

"I can only imagine the anxiety and stress the victim has had to endure in this unusual and sophisticated case."

The Land Registry paid out a total of £3.5m in compensation for fraud last year.

It said: "We work with professional conveyancers, such as solicitors, and rely on them and the checks that they make to spot fraudulent attempts to impersonate property owners.

"Despite our efforts, every year we do register a very small number of fraudulent transactions."

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