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User:Sam-2727/Farah Damji

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Farah Damji
Born (1966-10-09) 9 October 1966 (age 57)
NationalityUgandan
Occupation(s)Magazine and freelance writing
Known forCriminal activity and prison activitism
Children2

Farah Damji (born 6 October 1966) is a British and Ugandan citizen known for her criminal activity and journalism.

Early life[edit]

Damji was born in Uganda in 1966, and moved with her family to London in 1970.[1] She is married and has two children.[2][1][3][4][5] She became closely attached to her grandfather. After her family was briefly kidnapped, they moved to England.[2] According to Damji, she was sexually abused starting at the age of nine, which was the underlying motivation for her later crimes.[2] Her father was an Indian businessman and her mother a Jordanian princess.[6] She is the niece of journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (Amir's sister);[7][8] who refers to her niece's childhood in her autobiography No Place Like Home.

Convictions[edit]

Financial Crimes[edit]

From 1993 to 1995, Damji ran an art gallery in Manhattan and East Hampton.[9] She was charged in Manhattan of forging checks and of other scams related to her artwork, such as pretending that she hadn't been paid for the work yet, then cashing both checks.[6] She was convicted and spent six months in prison for these charges as well as ordered to pay $72,000.[10]

In 2000, Damji to South Africa, where she committed crimes similar to those in New York and was subsequently deported.[11]

Damji then returned to the United Kingdom. There, she founded, and became the publisher and editor of, the lifestyle magazine Another Generation (originally named Indobrit),[3] which folded after nine issues. During this time, she also wrote articles for mainstream and ethnic media, including a regular column in the Birmingham Post, an article in New Statesman,[12] and an article in The Observer.[13] It was discovered that she had conned co-workers and friends during this time period through stealing their credit cards, prompting a criminal trial.[14] The trial was lengthened because Damji impeded various aspects of it. She tricked the prosecution's witness into not showing up, and disappeared for a month during the pre-trial hearing.[14] In the month that she disappeared, she blogged about her freedom.[10] While on bail, she continued to con various journalists and other media figures.[14] She pleaded guilty to six counts of theft in 2006, 11 counts of obtaining property or services by deception, and two counts of perverting the course of justice.[4]

After her release from prison, Damji committed further financial crimes, making false statements to her landlords. This resulted in a conviction of 10 months.[15]

In March 2011, she created the company Kazuri Properties.[16][17] An investigation by The Sunday Times found that Damji's aim was "to take advantage of [the government's] fund for prisoner rehabilitation schemes".[16]

In September 2013, Damji founded the company Coming Home Cardiff. The company sent out invitations to a non-existent breakfast event at Cardiff Castle.[18]

Stalking[edit]

Damji had been accused of stalking William Dalrymple in 2004, but was never charged as the case was outside British jurisdiction.[19] In January 2014, Damji was arrested for stalking under new laws passed in 2012.[20] She used multiple online aliases and platforms, creating what the investigating officer called an "an extremely complex case."[20] She was convicted of the stalking charges and in 2016 sentenced to five years in jail.[21] In February 2020, she was convicted to an additional 27 months in prison for violating a restraining order issued in relation to the stalking charges.[21]

Later Advocacy[edit]

Damji, after getting released from prison, spoke about the need for gender equality in the prison system, particularly those with mental health conditions.[22] She became the managing editor of "The View Magazine," a magazine on issues related to mental health, women's rights, and criminal justice reform.[23] She also published the book "Try me" which she wrote while in prison, chronicling her life leading up to her crimes. In the book, she discusses her wish for her father to suffer for the upbringing of Damji. The book has been criticized as attempting to justify her various crimes.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Damji, Farah (2009), Try Me, The Ark Press. ISBN 978-1-907188-04-6
  2. ^ a b c Roberts, Alison (15 July 2009), "Confessions of London's most dangerous woman", London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  3. ^ a b Adams, Guy (30 July 2006), "'It seems I am the cause of great consternation'...", The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  4. ^ a b Davies, Catriona (14 October 2005). "Woman posed as Blunkett aide to stop her own trial". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  5. ^ Roberts, Geneviève (13 October 2005), "Tycoon's daughter is jailed for card theft", The Independent. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  6. ^ a b Lambert, Bruce (1995-11-05). "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: UPPER EAST SIDE;Gallery Owner's Specialty: Con Art". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  7. ^ Roberts, Alison (15 July 2009), "Confessions of London's most dangerous woman", London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  8. ^ Adams, Guy (30 July 2006), "'It seems I am the cause of great consternation'...", The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  9. ^ Lambert, Bruce (5 November 1995). "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: UPPER EAST SIDE;Gallery Owner's Specialty: Con Art". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  10. ^ a b Oliver, Mark (2006-07-27). "The net's not closing for this fugitive". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  11. ^ Roberts, Alison (15 July 2009), "Confessions of London's most dangerous woman", London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  12. ^ "Writers—Farah Damji", New Statesman. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  13. ^ Damji, Farah (24 August 2003), "Shedding the shame of Uganda", The Observer. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  14. ^ a b c Shaikh, By Thair. "Tycoon's daughter jailed for stolen credit card scam". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  15. ^ Twitter, none (0001-11-30). "Former magazine editor admits benefit fraud". Press Gazette. Retrieved 2020-04-20. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ a b Leppard, David & Hookham, Mark (21 August 2011), "Fraudster eyes Tory rehab cash", The Sunday Times.
  17. ^ "Kazuri Properties CIC—Filing history", Companies House. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  18. ^ a b Shipton, Martin (2013-10-30). "Convicted fraudster plans networking event at Cardiff Castle for domestic violence victims". walesonline. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  19. ^ "Mystery e-stalker targets Dalrymple: The Asian Age". Zee News. 2003-12-16. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  20. ^ a b "Stalker jailed after campaign to destroy life of married businessman". Evening Standard. 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  21. ^ a b "London's 'most dangerous woman' who stalked church warden jailed again". Metro. 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  22. ^ "Breaking worse". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  23. ^ "The Prison of my Mental Health - Farah Damji". Uncommon Ground. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
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