Man pleads guilty over scholarships sex scam
Following a Channel 4 News investigation, a man has pleaded guilty to posing as an academic to trick women into having sex with him in return for fictitious scholarships.
After targeting vulnerable students in an elaborate and sophisticated scam, 39-year-old Mark Lancaster from Hampshire pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to voyeurism and trafficking persons.
His website Sponsor a Scholar offered students the chance to have their university fees paid in exchange for “intimacy” with wealthy sponsors, to exploit vulnerable young women.
In an exclusive interview, one of his victims told Channel 4 News how he deceived and sexually exploited her for his own gratification. She recalled him saying:
“Because you will be an ambassador for Sponsor a Scholar I need to make sure that you are someone who can represent us properly and I guess it’s time now for the ‘practical’. And I was like…’what?'”
The victim added: “The only reason I allowed myself to do that was just because it was an interview and I thought it was safe.”
Secret cameras
Mark Lancaster covertly filmed sexual acts without the knowledge of his victims and continued to maintain the pretence that his business was legitimate.
In November 2012 he was exposed by a Channel 4 News undercover investigation and was arrested in December.
He set up a British website, sponsorascholar.co.uk, targeting financially vulnerable students claiming to offer up to £15,000 of scholarships. This would be in expectation of sexual services. The clients or sponsors were fictitious, and the website was a scam.
To enhance the credibility of the website he operated under the name of a prominent academic. Women searching online for scholarships would be directed to www.sponsorascholar.co.uk and asked to register their interest.
After an exchange of emails, an interview with was arranged. He met with a small number of women, often in a private rented apartment which he had arranged weeks in advance.
Long term planning
On at least one occasion he fitted covert cameras in the bedroom and bathroom of the apartment and recorded sexual activity with one victim, without her knowledge. He claimed the sexual activity was the practical assessment of the interview process.
Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland, of the Human Trafficking Unit said: “The sophistication and planning suggest this was part of a long term plan to identify and abuse vulnerable victims.”
It is believed that over 40 people contacted the website.
Lancaster will be sentenced on 19 July 2013.