Britain’s most wanted conman is on the run with wife and two daughters

Police hope to catch one of Britain’s most wanted fugitives by focusing on his wife and two daughters, who are currently on the run with him. Mark Acklom, 44, is believed to be somewhere in Europe with his partner Maria Yolanda Ros Rodriguez, 47, and their two daughters, aged six and eight.



He is alleged to have conned Carolyn Woods, 58, out of £850,000 in life savings in a romance scam after he met her in Gloucestershire. Detectives have now released a photograph of Acklom’s wife Rodriguez, who also uses aliases Yolianda Ross, Maria Long and Mary Moss, and maybe working as a yoga teacher.

They have also revealed his daughters could be attending a fee-paying school after he removed them from another private institution, El Limonar International School, in Murcia, Spain, a few days after being released over a £200,000 property fraud in the country last year. Detective Inspector Adam Bunting said: ‘Mark Acklom is a convincing fraudster and we’re working hard to locate him as soon as possible. ‘We have significant concerns about the children’s well-being given they were uprooted, with no notice, from their school, friends and family. Police want British expats with children in private international schools to keep a look out for anyone matching their descriptions.

Acklom had allegedly posed as a MI6 agent in order to con Ms Woods into ‘lending’ him her savings after promising to marry her during a year-long romance in Bath, Somerset. She is now said to be financially and emotionally devastated. Mr Bunting said Acklom could be anywhere in Europe but he had links to Dublin and Italy and was also seen in Switzerland. He added he may have also left the continent.

Mr Bunting has appealed for help from the public in order to help track him down. Acklom is described as 5ft 10in, of medium build, with dark brown hair and green eyes. Acklom has a number of previous fraud convictions, including a 466,000 mortgage fraud he committed when he was just 16 after posing as a City stockbroker.