A HAMPSTEAD woman who conned more than a £1 million out of vulnerable people by claiming she could cure their illnesses and life problem's by taking money to a magic tree in South America was today (Friday) jailed for ten years.

Juliette D'Souza was found guilty of 23 fraud charges at Blackfriars Crown Court after a unanimous jury verdict yesterday.

Judge Ian Karsten QC said she had "ruined lives" and had been "remorseless" about her actions. Eleven people fell victim to her scam, including one woman who was persuaded to have an abortion after being told by Ms D'Souza that her child was going to be "very deformed".

The judge added: "He said: “It is the worst case of confidence fraud that I have ever had to deal with or indeed that I have ever heard of. You have done it out of pure greed. I find no mitigating factors in your case at all. This is a case where there have been other victims but one of those victims is no longer alive. A baby."

He added:  “They did exactly what you required them to do. They were terrified in many cases of the consequences of disobeying your instructions, you intimidated them with threats of dreadful consequences should they disobey your instructions, and you subjected a number of your victims to your will because they lost all their autonomy. They became entirely dependent on you. To reinforce their dependency on you, you actually saw to it that they were cut off from their own friends and family. You warned them about the evil temperament of the people they were close to, so they separated themselves from those people – the result, complete dependency on you.”

Investigating officers Detective Constable Fiona Graham and Detective Constable Linda Kernot said: "We are pleased with todays sentence; it reflects the serious nature of her actions and the fact that that she has shown no remorse. We are relieved that her evil schemes have been stopped as we consider Juliette D'Souza equally as dangerous as a violent offender. She is a nasty, cruel person who targeted vulnerable people, preying on them at a time when they were desperate for support and guidance. In the end, her greed and arrogance was her downfall. We want to thank the victims for showing great courage in standing up to her and giving their evidence." 

Detective Superintendent Richard Tucker said: "D'Souza is one of the most wicked criminals I have ever come across. She made a conscious decision on a daily basis over many years to prey on people who were at a very vulnerable point in their lives. In all that time she demonstrated not one ounce of basic humanity. The jury saw through her lies and she has finally faced justice."

"We believe that Juliette D' Souza has been defrauding people for decades and we encourage any other victims or witnesses to come forward and contact Camden Major Crime Unit."

The defendant had declined to take the witness stand during a five week trial.