A Cambridgeshire conman frequently changed his name by deed poll to con companies out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Simon Squires of Highfields, Caldecote, went by names such as Simon Ball and Simon Brown and falsified his CV.

He has since been described as "A serious danger to honest business people.”

The 49-year-old has been jailed twice in the past, once in 2013 and again in 2017, but continued to offend once released.

Between 2018 and 2020, Squires used a CV containing "false and untrue" information to obtain senior jobs at two different companies.

Following an investigation by Cambridgeshire Constabulary, the man was arrested and charged with fraud offences.

He was then released on bail.

Despite this, Squires changed his name again to Matthew Ball, and gained employment as chief commercial director at a personal care product company in Norfolk.

He then moved on to a technology company in Oxford.

In total, the individual earned approximately £110,000 from the two organisations.

In February 2022, Squires was arrested by officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).

He later pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation, four counts of money laundering, and ten breaches of a Serious Crime Prevention Order which he had received following his 2017 conviction.

Simon Squires appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday (May 30), where he was jailed for eight years and nine months.

A proceeds of crime act (POCA) investigation has also been launched, to ensure that he does not profit from his actions.

Around £30,000 from Squires' bank account has been frozen, and a number of watches worth over £100,000 have been seized.

When passing the sentence, the judge described Squires as "A serious danger to honest business people.”

Police constable Kane Casburn said: "Squires made a career out of defrauding businesses out of hundreds of thousands of pounds, lying and cheating his way into senior positions.

“He clearly thought he was above the law and continued to deceive company after company, even while on court bail for other fraud offences.

“Unfortunately for him, he was unable to outrun the law and his actions have now caught up with him.

"I hope that this jail sentence is enough to make him think twice about any future convincing scams, and our financial investigators will be working hard to ensure that his assets are uncovered so that he fully repays all of his ill-gotten gains."