A 31-year-old Keighley woman who acted as a loan shark ‘preying on the desperate’ has been handed a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years.
Tyler Conley appeared before Bradford Crown Court for sentence on Friday, September 5, after pleading guilty to illegal money lending and money laundering between December 2020 and July 2024.
The court heard she lent money to people who were vulnerable, threatening and intimidating them if they could not pay. She charged interest of 100 per cent and her lending operation had a turnover of at least £74,000.
Passing sentence, Recorder Sam Green KC told Conley: “You are within less than a millimetre of going straight to prison today.”
He said ‘loan sharks need to know that they go straight to prison’ and it was only because of ‘highly exceptional’ circumstances that he was suspending the sentence in this case.
He added: “Those who need to go to people like you are by definition open to exploitation. You were preying on the desperate.”
The case was prosecuted by the England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) in partnership with West Yorkshire Trading Standards and West Yorkshire Police.
The court heard the IMLT received a report in December 2023 that Conley had been lending money in the Keighley area, even though she was not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to do so.
IMLT officers executed a warrant at Conley’s home in Moorview Grove in July 2024, working with officers from West Yorkshire Police, and she was arrested.
A phone found in the microwave was seized along with around £5,500 in cash.
Mr Simon Mortimer, prosecuting on behalf of the IMLT, said inquiries into Conley’s banking documents revealed there were over 343 third party payments totalling over £64,500.
In interview she said she had lent money to friends and family to help them out. She also claimed the bank account was accessed by several people and said she was being forced into illegal lending but would not give more details.
Mr Mortimer said an IMLT financial investigator examined her accounts and found she had at least 30 regular borrowers.
She charged interest rates of 100 per cent and received over £74,000 by way of repayments through her bank accounts. Mr Mortimer said cash transactions would have also taken place, which were unaccounted for, so this figure and the number of borrowers could have been much higher.
Mr Mortimer also told the court of a number of text messages where Conley ‘intimidated and threatened’ customers. Some messages to her were from relatives of a borrower concerned about her wellbeing and questioning what she owed.
Replies from Conley to borrowers included one that said: “You’ve got until 20th to pay the £800, whatever is left will be doubled.” Another said: “I’ll be up to see you today with my guy.”
Recorder Green KC said the messages had ‘underlying menacing implications’.
He said he took into account Tyler’s defence that she had mental and physical health issues and was a single mother with two dependent children. He also said a letter she had written to the court showed genuine remorse.
But he said: “You have pleaded guilty on the basis that you acted as you did under the coercion of others and under fear of reprisals if you did not do what you were told.
“You of all people should have known what it was like to be in that position, yet you continued to put others in that position, to get the heat off you and make a little bit of money on the way.”
He sentenced Conley to 24 months in custody for money laundering and 12 months for illegal money lending, to run concurrently. The sentence was suspended for two years. She was also ordered to undertake 25 rehabilitation activity sessions and complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
Recorder Green KC said he had taken into account Conley’s personal circumstances when deciding to suspend the sentence and added: “Sentences are not being watered down.”
The court heard Conley had agreed to forfeit the cash seized and an order for costs was made in the sum of £5,748.08.
Speaking after the hearing, head of the IMLT, Dave Benbow, said: “This case has all the hallmarks of a community lender – she was known within the area for lending money and appeared to be a friend offering a favour, but in reality she was taking advantage and trapping people in ever-growing debt.
“We welcome the sentence and the judge’s comments, which show just how seriously the offence of illegal money lending is seen by the courts. We would urge anyone who has been affected by illegal lending to contact our team in confidence for support.”
Illegal lenders do not complete affordability checks on borrowers, often meaning they are lending to people who cannot pay them back. These borrowers do not have the protection of consumer law such as cancellation periods and the ability to apply for help if they can’t pay. This causes huge amounts of stress and can impact their other finances, leaving them unable to pay rent or other priority bills.
The IMLT, known as Stop Loan Sharks, is a national team set up over 20 years ago to investigate and prosecute loan sharks and support borrowers across England. It is hosted by Birmingham City Council.
Anyone who has been affected by illegal money lending should call the Stop Loan Sharks 24/7 confidential helpline on 0300 555 2222 or access support online at www.stoploansharks.co.uk. Live Chat is available on the website from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
