A Manchester man has been jailed for his part in a £1 million property scam.

Raymond Abramson, 69, from Whitefield, pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court today to conspiracy to defraud, a bankrupt engaging in trade and an undischarged bankrupt being concerned in the management of a company.

The fraud involved houses being sold at inflated prices on the promise of guaranteed tenancy and refurbishment that never materialised. Abramson spearheaded the scam using the alias Trevor Smith to sell 13 victims 21 separate properties, some of which he did not own. Buyers were sold properties at inflated prices as part of bogus regeneration projects.

Mr Abramson was sentenced to three years in prison, along with his accomplice Mark Jopson, 51, from Burnley, who was jailed for two years and seven months. John Edwards, 43, from Bury, was given a 10 month suspended sentence and 200 hours community service for his involvement.

Detective Constable John Lonsdale, from Greater Manchester Police's Fraud Investigation Unit, said: "Abramson, Jopson and Edwards worked together on this meticulous scam, which they delivered over a prolonged period of time, to deliberately defraud their victims.

"All the victims have lost something as a result of the defendants' greed and many will not recoup their initial outlay as the houses are in poor areas and in varying states of disrepair."