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Millionaire's daughter who stole credit cards jailed

Genevive Roberts

As the daughter of a millionaire property tycoon, Farah Damji took her high-maintenance lifestyle for granted. But when the funds which bought her homes in Hampshire, New York and Chelsea ran dry, she was not prepared to relinquish her luxurious existence without a fight.

Damji, a former editor of Another Generation magazine, developed a second career as a conwoman, running up thousands of pounds on credit cards stolen from her nanny and a former employee. When she found herself facing charges, Ms Damji, 39, continued the deception, posing as a Crown Prosecution official to try to get the case against her dropped. Her attempts failed and yesterday she was jailed for three and a half years.

Despite serving a six-month sentence at New York's Rikers Island Jail for grand larceny and forgery in 1995, Damji appears to have successfully hidden her criminal past from friends and associates in Britain. The daughter of Amir Damji, a property tycoon and millionaire in South Africa and London, she gained notoriety in this country only in 2003 when she made public details of affairs with two journalists in a national newspaper.

Yesterday, at Blackfriars Crown Court in London, Damji, who says she has an alcohol and drugs problem, admitted offences involving nearly pounds 50,000 and asked for 25 other offences to be taken into consideration

In 2002, Damji stole the Mastercard belonging to her nanny Milla Salminen and made 61 unauthorised transactions totalling pounds 3,903.78, including paying a hotel bill and buying a laptop for more than pounds 1,000.

In 2004, Damji stole a credit card from a colleague, a marketing consultant, Darshika Mahavir. She used the card to buy clothes and food from Harvey Nichols. Later, she tried to buy clothes and toys at Peter Jones but was arrested when police became suspicious. While on bail she stole another card from Rakhi Gokani while on a photo shoot. She used the card to spend pounds 2,639.54.

The court also heard that Damji , 39, who has been declared bankrupt, obtained two diamond and platinum rings from Boodle and Dunthorne jewellers in Knightsbridge, west London. She claimed the rings were for a press loan and said she was representing Kiki King from the Daily Mail, who now works for the Daily Mirror.

Damji, who has two children aged eight and three, was to stand trial on theft charges on 14 February this year. But before the trial she phoned Ian Muir, the main prosecution witness, and said she was from the Crown Prosecution Service. She told him he would not need to attend court and the case was adjourned when he did not turn up.

Damji also phoned the prosecution solicitor, Wayne Cranston- Morris, after obtaining his home phone number from his chambers by claiming to be from the CPS. She told him a record of her previous convictions was 'unreliable', her solicitors were 'very good and therefore she was likely to win'. Police later found a phone bill which showed three calls from Damji's phone to the solicitor.

Nicholas Wrack, for the defence, said Damji was 'extremely remorseful', and that 'she has seen her life wrecked'. Her business had collapsed and she had lost her money and her magazine. Reports showed she was emotionally unstable and had suffered post-natal depression. She had also self-harmed in prison and was under watch in custody.

Judge John Samuels sentenced her to two years for dishonesty and theft and 18 months for perverting justice, and said: 'You are a thoroughly dishonest and manipulative woman, and the aggravated features of your offending include the way in which you caused suspicion to fall on your employees and others to whom you were in flagrant breach of your position as an editor.'

Copyright 2005 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
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