Bogus aristocrat ‘Lord of Fraud’, 79, who was jailed for trying to steal £229million from a Japanese bank pleads guilty to child sex offences

Hugh Rodley, a 79-year-old fraudster who styled himself as a lord, has pleaded guilty to seven offences involving indecent images of children. The case adds serious sexual offences to a record of major financial scams and highlights the material investigators say he continued to seek while on bail.

Investigators found 198 images on a laptop, including 19 in category A, and recorded at least 806 searches for child sexual abuse content. A phone found after his release on bail contained a further 295 images; officers said it was used to continue searching for such material. Rodley previously received prison sentences for attempting to steal £229 million from a Japanese bank and defrauding pensioners of £6 million; he is due to be sentenced in November.