Eight men and a woman have gone on trial accused of  being involved in a £7 million property fraud in Aberdeen.

David George Pocock, 48, Russell Taylor, 43, Alastair Walker, 62, David Ramage, 53, David Mark Pocock, 49, Frank Pocock, 49, Patrick Pocock, 46, Mark Mackie, 42 and Arlyn Cran, 41, all deny being part of a  fraudulent scheme to obtain money, mortgages and property.

The offences are alleged to have taken place over a four-year period at various addresses in Aberdeen.

The trial which began yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow is expected to last around five months.

David George Pocock, Taylor, Walker, and Ramage are alleged to have pretended David George Pocock was buying properties supported by valuations prepared by Walker.

It is alleged they knew the values were false and induced banks or building societies to advance money.

David George Pocock, Taylor, David Mark Pocock, Frank Pocock and Patrick Pocock, allegedly submitted mortgage applications, pretending they were supported by Walker's mortgage valuation, despite knowing the properties were already owned by David George Pocock and subject to fraudulently obtained mortgages.

David George Pocock and Taylor are further accused of failing to redeem mortgages and the total obtained through fraud is alleged to be £4.6 million.
Taylor, of 25 Beaconsfield Place, Aberdeen, is accused of acting as a solicitor at the time while Walker, of 27 Springdale Road, Bieldside, Aberdeen, was allegedly acting as a chartered surveyor.

A further £134,000 is alleged to have been obtained by David George Pocock, Taylor, Walker and Ramage by inducing another person to obtain a mortgage and transfer funds on a property they pretended Pocock owned.

David George Pocock, Taylor, Walker, Ramage and Mackie, 41, are alleged to have obtained £2.2 million by fraud through a scheme involving properties in Rosemount, including Gilcomston Church.

David George Pocock, Taylor and Cran, 40, are alleged to have obtained £180,000 by fraud in another scheme involving a bank overdraft.

And David George Pocock, Taylor, Walker, Ramage and Patrick Pocock are alleged to have obtained another ú112,200 by fraud through a mortgage application.

David George Pocock, whose address was given as 76 Rubislaw Den North, faces another three charges relating to £70,000 allegedly received from tenants in properties allegedly obtained by fraud.

He, along with Taylor, Walker, Ramage, of 37 Hillside Crescent, Westhill, David Mark Pocock, c/o George Mathers and Co, Frank Pocock, of 34 Robins Grove, Warwick, Patrick Pocock, of The Steading, Woodside of Cloghill, Kingswells, Mackie, of 13 Coldstone Avenue, Aberdeen, and Cran, of Balbrogie Cottage, Kinellar, Aberdeenshire, all deny the charges agains them.

Judge Lord Malcolm told the jury that the trial was expected to last for up to five months.

Prosecutor Keith Stewart said the first witness will give evidence on Wednesday.