MARK GOULD The romance fraudster turned Premier League pirate who tried to have ME jailed

Charming, loveable, charismatic, sociable, Gould had Stephanie Hayden hooked. It was nothing but a sham and Hayden still lives with the repercussions to this day

Flawless IPTV was the flawed 'get rich quick' scheme that ultimately led to Gould's downfall and an unprecedented ELEVEN year prison sentence Mark Gould Jailed

 

I STILL think about Mark Gould every single day. It is kind of hard not to when you have been involved in one of the most intense and intimate relationships of your life, especially when that relationship turned out to be a complete sham, or in modern parlance, romance fraud. On 30 May 2023, Gould was jailed for eleven years at Chesterfield Justice Centre on two counts of conspiracy to defraud and contempt of court. Mark had tried to take on the Premier League and was shown the red card by His Honour Judge Martin Hurst. Eight years earlier in 2015 Mark Gould showed me the red card and spent the next two years of his life trying to have me jailed on trumped up charges of 'harassment'. Luckily for me, the attempt failed almost as spectacularly as Gould's crazy 'get rich' quick scheme. 

A modest upbringing on the social housing estates of North Kensington

When people think of Kensington and Chelsea in London they associate the Royal Borough with unimaginable wealth and privilege and to a large extent that is true, at least in the south of the locality, but in the north it is an area of social deprivation, poverty, and lack of opportunity. North Kensington became associated with the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, and this is the Kensington and Chelsea Mark Gould was to be brought up in. Gould was born in Hammersmith in late 1986, the youngest of five brothers, and the fourth child of Maureen and Patrick Gould. Despite the challenging social conditions, the Goulds were what are these days called the "working poor". Money was tight, but Mark's parents worked and tried to hand down that work ethic to their children. Patrick Gould came from a military background and had immigrated to the United Kingdom from Ireland, Maureen was a good Anglican. Never an academic child Mark nevertheless secured good employment with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea but (not unreasonably) Mark wanted to better his life, academically, socially, and (above all else) financially. With this in mind Gould enrolled on a one year course at Birkbeck University of London in 2011, securing a Certificate of Higher Education in Law. His performance on this course secured Gould a place on the prestigious Bachelor of Law course (LLB) at the University of Manchester. The scene was now set for an extraordinary sequence of events, which would lead to Mark Gould becoming one of the single most influential (and consequential) people in my life. 

Manchester back to Birkbeck and the 'fatal' first meeting of Mark Gould and Stephanie Hayden

It was not to work out in Manchester for Gould. Social distraction led to Mark failing to progress on his LLB course and any doubts that Manchester was not for Gould resolved themselves after a bizarre accident in a Manchester nightclub led to Mark suffering head injuries and deciding to return home to London. Nevertheless, convinced his future was in the law, Mark returned to his old stomping ground at Birkbeck and enrolled on their LLB course in September 2014.

Since 2012, I myself had been enrolled on a course in the Birkbeck Law School. Some years previously I had come to the law via (the then) Institute of Legal Executives. After several years working in house for numerous property companies, I had decided to try and take my law career to the next level. On 14 November 2014, I was to meet Mark Gould for the first time. I do not know why, but I immediately knew there was a connection between us. Mark made all the advances, chatty, charming, he knew the words to say. He even touched me on my face, something that not many others would have gotten away with. In those days, I was presenting male (it is well known that I am now a transgender woman) but had been medically transitioning for seven years at that point (I had been taking male to female hormones since 2007). The night I first met Mark he invited me to his birthday party (which was to be held the following week). I politely declined. 

"I love you, you love me, where does that leave us?" December 2014 - August 2015 an intense and "loving" relationship, or was it?

DECEMBER 12 2014 was the night our relationship started. At Mark's insistence, I agreed to join him at a social event. Usually, I would avoid these social situations. I do not have much time for them, find them intensely boring, and quite frankly have better things to do. However, Mark could be very persuasive and accompany him I did. Most of the night went exactly how I anticipated, boring, then just the two of us remained. We headed to a casino on Leicester Square (Mark was a regular). We plainly hit it off, the connection sparked, and things well progressed. The Christmas of 2014 was one of being intensely pursued by Gould. Yet something did not feel right. I could not put my finger on it but I did raise my concerns with very close friends. Maybe I was reckless, enjoying the attention perhaps, but I ignored every single one of my own internal alarm bells and it was to cost me profoundly. 

Throughout the first half of 2015, Mark would ask for money. First it was for a new smartphone, then he needed his course fees paid, and finally he demanded a car. When we were alone Mark was the most loveable, caring, and charming man one could wish for. He knew how to make you feel special but once in the company of others (especially his friends) Gould became this Jekyll and Hyde character. He would go out of his way to make me feel like crap, cause problems, tell his friends that I was some crazy stalker. I put it down to Mark perhaps having internal problems with his sexuality. I resolved several times to walk away, but then Mark would apologise, say the right words, and all was (so I thought) well. At this time, I was dealing with my father having a terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. I was vulnerable and perhaps I was just happy for the attention Mark was giving to me, but I elected to ignore the warning signs in plain sight. It was in March 2015 that Mark told me that he loved me 'I love you, you love me, where does that leave us?'. These words he would go on to say repeatedly again and again and again. He would subsequently tell others that I had made those words, and our very relationship, all up.

Death, dumped, arrested, charged, acquitted August 2015 - June 2016 TEN months of HELL

My father died in August 2015 and initially Mark was my rock. It would be wrong of me to not accept that he was there for me in these initial days. At this time, Mark was once again working for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and so knew all the protocols and procedures that I needed to follow to register my father's death and inform all the necessary companies and agencies. However, just three weeks later Mark struck. Days before he dumped me, he asked me to purchase him a car. At the time of my father's death, I had already provided Mark with funds to help him settle his debt to the College. I was hesitant, and my 'punishment' was to be dumped. Of course, it was all my fault. I was apparently being 'unreasonable', 'jealous' of his friends, and 'could not control my temper'. I was devastated, I pleaded to talk, but he was having none of it. I flew to Australia to give him the space he claimed that he needed, he then told me to come back and we would talk and sort it all out. I did as Mark asked only to be humiliated in the staff bar of Kensington Town Hall. 

Things were to get much worse. Mark made a series of very specific allegations of harassment to the Metropolitan Police. I was to be arrested in late October 2015 and charged with one count of harassment without violence. When the allegations were put to me in police interview, I knew (thankfully) that I would be in a position to disprove each and every single one of them.  Mark had tried to be too clever (a trait that would eventually land him in prison eight years later). What Gould had done was make a bizarre and very specific set of allegations to the police amounting to stalking. What Mark had forgotten was that both of us were prolific users of the instant messaging service WhatsApp. As such, when Mark made a specific allegation and gave a specific date and time, all I had to do was go to the contemporaneous WhatsApp messages to demonstrate that what Mark alleged belonged in the realms of fiction. When Mark had claimed that he had asked me to leave him alone, the WhatsApp messages demonstrated that he had in actual fact demanded that I accompany him to a social event. Mark had told the police that he told me to get out of his life in June 2015, only for the WhatsApp messages to demonstrate Mark asking us to give things another go in July 2015, and to buy Mark a car in late August 2015. It is kind of hard to get home on harassment charges when contemporaneous documentation demonstrates that the person making the allegations is blatantly dishonest. 

Despite knowing that I was likely to be cleared that did not stop Mark trying to get me remanded into custody. He alleged that I had breached my conditional bail. I was arrested, taken to court in custody, and cleared of the allegation. Mark then worked with a colleague to try and have me arrested during a civil court hearing in April 2016. On this occasion the Metropolitan Police seen sense and did not arrest me. Throughout 2016, Mark worked tirelessly to get me expelled from Birkbeck. He was supported by close friends holding senior positions in the students union. This was to lead to a series of bizarre civil court cases, all resolved in my favour with damages and undertakings. Mark's attempt to have me kicked out of Birkbeck failed and his attempt to have me jailed for harassment was to fail.

20 JUNE 2016 was day one of my trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court. I was to represent myself (a fool for a client some might say). The case had been listed for two full court days and District Judge Rimmer was to preside. I had done my homework, serving a defence statement (not compulsory in the magistrates' court), and a series of what are known as section 9 witness statements (which went unchallenged by the Crown Prosecution Service). A very close friend kindly agreed to give oral evidence on my behalf. I treated the trial professionally and attempted to remain as detached as I could in the circumstances. Throughout day one Mark gave evidence by video link. He was a mess, argumentative with the District Judge (never a good idea) but entirely inconsistent with the evidence that he gave. He fell apart during cross-examination (undertaken by an independent lawyer due to the nature of the charges that I faced). Day two was my opportunity to tell my story, and tell it I did, the lies, the money, but also the moments of kindness, brilliance, and (so I thought) of love. District Judge Rimmer believed me. In a lengthy judgment, the District Judge stated there had been no course of conduct by me and rejected Mark Gould's evidence in its entirety. I was cleared, believed, acquitted. I left the court on that stiflingly hot first day of summer, 21 June 2016, sat on the steps outside court exhausted but relieved. A Crown Prosecutor noticed me in a daze and enquired for my welfare. I just told her I wanted to rest. It was over, or so I thought. 

Mark comes back for round two, the civil case, the family barrister, and the moment I realised Mark Gould was trying to rip off the Premier League

Throughout 2016, civil proceedings in the County Court at Central London were ongoing between Mark and me. Judgment (in default) had been secured in my favour and I was working towards an assessment of damages hearing in January 2017. It was on Mark's 30th birthday that I was alerted to an absurd post on Gould's Instagram account 'redmanmark86'. Mark had arrogantly, stupidly even, posted his bank balances on his public instagram feed.

Apart from the crass stupidity of what Mark had done, something did not seem right. In a little over a period of just one year Gould had gone from relying on me for financial handouts to having a healthy bank balance with no apparent explanation. He was also now driving a smart almost new BMW car. Mark's explanation was 'self-employment'. I smelled a rat. My investigations quickly led to me discovering that Mark was involved in something called IPTV. Not being technically minded I asked my (now late) first cousin to explain what this was all about. My cousin's explanation left me speechless. What Mark was doing involved streaming premium sport and movie channels, for a fee, in breach of copyright. I immediately knew the level of criminality Mark was involved in. I tried to warn him, I tried to make him stop. Mark's reaction? Oh yes, walk into Notting Hill Police Station and allege HARASSMENT. 

On 11 January 2017, FOUR police officers arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. About two minutes beforehand, the elevator door opened, and there stood Mark Gould (my ex, the ex love of my life) staring at me before giving me the most sinister wink I could possibly imagine. Minutes later, I was arrested, on my way to Belgravia Custody Suite. Mark had done it again, he had persuaded the Police to arrest me. This time I was prepared. I commenced immediate legal action against the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. The Crown Prosecution Service refused to prosecute me and questioned Mark Gould's credibility and mental health. 

As the civil proceedings went on, Mark used some of his new found wealth to instruct a direct access barrister. This barrister was 41 years call and a family law specialist. He skilfully engaged me in satellite litigation and I could not continue my case. I settled with Mark but on less advantageous terms than I would have wised. 

Of course, I warned the barrister about Mark. I gave the barrister very specific information, all of which turned out to be proved entirely correct. The barrister, in breach of his money laundering obligations, accepted Mark Gould's dirty money.

Unfortunately, by the summer of 2017 Mark was in way too deep. I doubt I could have helped him by then. The Metropolitan Police settled my civil case against them in April 2018. Mark Gould was arrested in a joint operation with Hammersmith and Fulham Trading Standards in May 2018. Plainly, by April 2018 the Metropolitan Police were aware of what Mark Gould was about and very sensibly settled my civil claim. 

And so to jail Mark Gould goes

When I read the news about Mark's imprisonment, I was astonished but not surprised. The problem with Mark Gould was arrogance. He demonstrated that with me and he demonstrated it with abundance when dealing with the Premier League. His arrest in May 2018 was his shot across the bows. Mark should have quit while he was ahead but Mark being Mark always had time for one more spin of the roulette wheel. I read that Mark had absurdly tried to flee the jurisdiction and dissipate his assets in breach of a financial restraining order (hence the contempt of court finding). Almost comical, but not a surprise to me. Mark never knew when to stop. 

The photos of Mark surrounded by empty Doritos packets and pizza boxes upset me. He liked his food as this charming photo of him in McDonald's Shepherd's Bush (on one of our better days together) demonstrates, but a slob Mark certainly was not. Perhaps the transient wealth went to his head, I do not know. 

For the five years between his initial arrest and his imprisonment, Mark spent his days assisting anti-transgender activists who were involved in legal action with me. Those activists lauded Gould as a 'man of good character' who was 'stalked' by a transgender woman. A court had seen through Gould back in 2016, but this did not matter to politically motivated and well funded transphobes. Now those same activists look absolutely absurd. 

Gang ringleader, criminal mastermind?

I have read articles describing Mark as a criminal mastermind and a gang ringleader. Technically, he was plainly with skill. Socially he was undoubtedly a leader, but I am having some difficulty accepting Mark as a criminal mastermind or gang ringleader. Plainly, he was a romance fraudster (I am testament to that) but to me Mark Gould is the lad who went too far, did not know when to stop, and did not have the intellectual or academic ability necessary to cover his tracks. He made stupid mistakes, for example who buys an apartment with £600,000 cash when just the year before you relied on your 'partner' for financial handouts? Likewise, ordering takeaways with bitcoins, oh please! Hardly, the conduct of a 'criminal mastermind', but rather of just a flawed (certainly not 'Flawless') silly little boy who wanted to play in the 'premier' league but now languishes in the 'conference' league of HMP Nottingham.

I wish Mark no harm, I want him to reflect and come out on the other side the better man for his experiences. In June 2019, he tried to reach out to me. I was in South Africa, and my first cousin had recently died. I answered the phone to him, 'Mark, Mark, is that you Mark?' There was silence and he put the phone down. Perhaps it was for the best.

UPDATE AUGUST 2024: On 6 June 2024 the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) dismissed Mark Gould's application for leave to appeal his sentence for conspiracy to defraud (2 counts). Gould's substantive appeal against the 10 month sentence imposed for contempt of court was also dismissed. He is due to be released on licence at the end of November 2028. The full judgment is available at https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2024/669.html.

STEPHANIE HAYDEN is a lawyer and current affairs commentator and tweets under the name @flyinglawyer73. Stephanie has broadcasted on RT UK/International, ITV, BBC Television and Radio, Nippon TV, and GB News. 

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