South East

Can you spot a conman? Have you got the ability to see through an elaborate web of lies to immediately identify when someone is out to deceive you for their own personal gain?

After 10 years working as an investigative journalist, first at ITV and then with the BBC, I thought I had what it takes to get the measure of a person.

After all, I'd investigated the paedophile who'd deceived dozens of professionals to infiltrate a children's charity.

And I'd door-stepped the conman who'd set up a fake modelling agency.

Surely, when it came to sniffing out a fraudster, I was well qualified?

Alas, as it transpired, not immediately.

You see, in the Spring of 2006 when I first met John Paul Airs, it pains me to admit it, but initially I was completely taken in by this smooth talking Italian businessman and his grand claim that he was the right man to reinvigorate the British ferry industry.

Fortunately, I did come round to my senses, but it took a while.

Exposing John Paul Airs

This is the background story how I exposed John Paul Airs, a man who wanted everyone to believe he was a multi million pound ferry tycoon.

In fact he was actually just a very slick conman hell bent on ripping off as many people as he could…

Glenn Campbell confronts Mr Airs.

My research started back in the spring of 2006 and would culminate in a heated exchange of words at his Mediterranean villa in May 2008.

Initially, it was a pretty run of the mill documentary, a programme looking into the state of the British ferry industry in what can only be described as a particularly turbulent and choppy period.

P&O had just announced hundreds of job losses, Hoverspeed, the fast ferry operator so popular with day trippers during the 1990's had also just gone bust shedding jobs.

In short, Dover was having a tough time so I decided to take a measured look at what the future held for Britain's cross channel ferry industry, and that's when I first met John Paul Airs.

Industry in search of a saviour

Looking back now, from his perspective, the ferry business was the perfect target for a fraud.

A huge industry that was down on its luck, an entire community looking for a solution, looking for a financial saviour, and so, Mr Airs decided to present himself as that very saviour.

Many questions - John Paul Airs.

Promoting himself as a hot shot ferry tycoon backed by hundreds of millions of pounds of Arab investment capital, he somehow managed to convince huge swathes of the ferry industry that he had the money to set up a massive shipping empire.

He convinced ferry designers he would be ordering a new fleet of high-tec ships, he even took out newspaper adverts appealing for crew, officers and shore staff.

Hundreds of people from Dover, Sheerness and Folkestone applied.

In the end though, all John Paul Airs really wanted was to get his hands on as much investment capital as he could raise then do a runner, which is exactly what he ended up doing.

Confronting a con man

Needless to say many people fell for Mr Air's empty promises.

Some of them took part in this programme, others preferred to assist the BBC from the wings, keeping their identities secret.

But they provided invaluable information that eventually led me to the front door of John Paul Airs at his hideaway in Italy.

You can watch the moment we finally managed to confront the fake ferry magnate by clicking on the video below.

It's an interesting confrontation that will hopefully provide you, as it did me, with a unique glimpse into the dark heart of the accomplished fraudster.

It may read like the script of a Hollywood movie, but this is real life and unfortunately it left real victims in its wake.