A CONVICTED conman has admitted three counts of fraudulent trading relating to a timeshare scheme.

Francis ‘Frank’ Madden, 61, is due to be sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court next week after changing his pleas to three charges on a 14-count indictment ahead of a planned trial.

Prosecutors will not proceed with the remaining counts.

Madden has appeared before the courts before, and in 2012 was handed a six-month suspended sentence for eight counts of unfair trading.

The defendant, of Wellington Road in Bournemouth, had initially denied six counts of fraudulent trading, six of failing to provide cancellation rights and two of money laundering, and faced a trial expected to take at least six weeks.

He has now pleaded guilty on a basis to three counts of fraudulent trading, which concerns companies Central Marketing Ltd, Glenleigh Ltd and Reco Corp Ltd.

The charges span a period between May 2012 and February 2016.

Madden, who was not in the dock during yesterday’s hearing, rose to quietly confirm his pleas to the three charges.

Claire Garland, 29 and of Wood View in Wimborne, had denied six counts of fraudulent trading, six of failing to provide cancellation rights and one of money laundering.

She has now admitted two counts of failing to provide cancellation rights in relation to four complainants on a basis. The charges were committed on dates in May and October 2013.

Barristers acting on her behalf said both counts are “regulatory offences”, which do not require elements of dishonesty or intent.

Keith Furneval, 47, of Grosvenor Gardens in Boscombe, who was charged with fraudulent trading, and Jean Furneval, 60, of Wellington Road, Bournemouth, who was charged with money laundering, were told they would not need to return to the court for next week's hearing.

Both had pleaded not guilty.

The allegations the pair faced were “plainly towards the bottom of the pile in terms of criminal conduct”, the court was told.

A trial had been due to begin on Monday, April 16.

After days of work by counsel for both the prosecution and the defence, jurors have now been discharged and no trial will take place.

Judge Stephen Climie said the jury panel were “prepared to go above and beyond in the call of public duty” by committing to a long trial.

“I thank all of you for that,” he said. Jurors had returned to the court to hear why the hearing would not proceed,

Prosecutors said they had taken a “pragmatic view” in proceeding with the agreed course of action following months of work into a “complex case”.

Madden and Garland will return to the crown court to be sentenced on Tuesday.

A full day has been set aside for the hearing.