Farah Damji (born 9 October 1966), also known as Farah Dan, is a Ugandan-born British convicted criminal with multiple convictions pertaining to

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

and

stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitorin ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In 2016, Damji was described by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' as "a notorious conwoman," and by other newspapers as "London's most dangerous woman" in 2021.

Early life

Damji was born in Uganda in 1966 to a multi-millionaire property developer Amir DamjiRoberts, Alison (15 July 2009),
Confessions of London's most dangerous woman
, ''

London Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...

''. Retrieved 2017-06-06. and moved with her family to London in 1970.Damji, Farah (2009), ''Try Me'', The Ark Press. She is the niece of journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (Amir's sister);Adams, Guy (30 July 2006),
'It seems I am the cause of great consternation'...
, ''

The Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

''. Retrieved 2021-08-13. who refers to her niece's childhood in her autobiography ''No Place Like Home''. Damji has a

borderline personality disorder Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive, long-term pattern of significant interpersonal relationship instability, an acute fear of Abandonment (emotional), abandonment, and intense emotiona ...

and suffered addictions to cocaine and alcohol. She is married and has two children.

Life in the United States

Between 1993 and 1995 Damji ran an art gallery in Manhattan and East Hampton. At that time she rented an apartment for herself. She gave the landlord a cheque she had received for $20, which she had altered to $20,000; when the cheque bounced the landlord obtained an eviction order and seized her belongings. Damji then forged the signature of the judge assigned to the case and amended the order so that she could get her belongings back. In October 1995 Damji was sentenced to six months in

Rikers Island Rikers Island is a prison island in the East River in the Bronx, New York (state), New York, United States, that contains New York City's largest jail. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was orig ...

prison, in New York, for those crimes and other crimes related to her art gallery: five counts of grand larceny, possession of a forged instrument, and altering official records. She was also ordered to pay $72,000 to her major victims and given four years' probation. During the time Damji was on probation she allegedly committed other crimes; when a warrant for her arrest was subsequently issued she fled the U.S. Damji then went to South Africa; there, she committed further financial crimes, for which she was deported.

Life in the United Kingdom

Damji then returned to the United Kingdom where, in 2002, she founded and became the publisher and editor of the lifestyle magazine ''Another Generation'' (originally named ''Indobrit''). In a high court trademark dispute case she lost the use of name ‘Indobrit’, which had been coined and registered as a trademark by Dr. Anjoom Mukadam, and the magazine folded after nine issues. Dozens of writers, photographers, and other contributors to the magazine were either not paid for their work or given cheques that bounced. During this time she also wrote articles for mainstream and ethnic media, including a regular column in the '' Birmingham Post'',Thompson, Tony (2011), ''Gang Land'' (London:

Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.H ...

)
chap.13
an article in ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'', and an article in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

''. In 2006

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

recalled her magazines as being "smart, readable and award-winning". In October 2002 Damji stole a credit card from her nanny; she then ran up a bill on the card totalling £3,903. She was arrested for that, and then released on bail. While out on bail she stole another credit card from her business assistant; she then ran up a bill on that card totalling £1,030. She was arrested for that, and then released on bail again. In 2004, while out on bail, she stole another credit card and ran up bills on the card; she also committed other thefts. The trial for the crimes committed during 2002–2004 was originally scheduled to be held in February 2005. However, before the trial Damji telephoned the main prosecution witness and, pretending to be from the

Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...

, she told the witness that he did not need to attend court; consequently the witness did not turn up and the trial had to be adjourned.Shaikh, Thair (14 October 2005),
Tycoon’s daughter jailed for stolen credit card scam
, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''. While the trial was adjourned, Damji stole more credit cards and committed further crimes. On 14 May 2005 Damji was arrested, and this time bail was refused. Afterwards, a trial was held, concluding on 13 October 2005. Damji pleaded guilty to six counts of theft, 11 counts of obtaining property or services by deception, and two counts of perverting the course of justice. The thefts totaled about £50,000. Damji was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. The judge in the trial described her as "thoroughly dishonest and manipulative".Roberts, Geneviève (13 October 2005),
Tycoon's daughter is jailed for card theft
, ''

''. Retrieved 2016-08-19. Damji was temporarily released from Downview Prison, on 22 July 2006 to attend a meeting with her

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

tutor, but did not return as required that same day. She was re-arrested by police five days later, on 27 July. While Damji was in prison she began writing her autobiography; she finished the writing shortly after her release. The book was eventually published in July 2009 under the title ''Try Me''. In the book, Damji claims to have been rehabilitated and put her criminal past behind her. Weeks after she was released from prison, Damji began committing further frauds. In July 2009 Damji pleaded guilty to three counts of dishonestly making false representations to Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council, which included benefit frauds of £17,000; she additionally pleaded guilty to two counts of dishonestly making false representations to landlords, which included defrauding one landlord of £7,685. On 29 January 2010, Damji was sentenced to 15 months in prison. At the trial, the judge said "The level of dishonesty at every conceivable juncture is so persistent it's the type of case I have never come across before". In March 2011 Damji founded the company Kazuri Properties.Leppard, David & Hookham, Mark (21 August 2011),
Fraudster eyes Tory rehab cash
, ''

''.Kazuri Properties CIC—Filing history
,

Companies House Companies House is the executive agency of the British Government that maintains the Company register, register of companies, employs the company registrars and is responsible for Incorporation (business), incorporating all forms of Company, co ...

. Retrieved 2018-09-02. The company claimed to have established a "heroes center" to help former soldiers and servicemen who ended up in prison. An investigation by ''

'' found that the center did not exist and concluded that Damji's aim was "to take advantage of he government'sfund for prisoner rehabilitation schemes". The company has since been dissolved. In September 2013 Damji founded the company Coming Home (Cardiff); she claimed that the company would assist young women in finding employment. A letter announcing the launch of the company invited people to an event at Cardiff Castle, and said that the chairman of Mears Group would be attending the event. Investigation by

Wales Online Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd. History The ''Western Mail'' was fou ...

, however, found that the City of Cardiff Council, which owns the Castle, was unaware of the event and had received no booking for the Castle; additionally, the chairman of Mears Group said "We have no financial dealings with Ms Damji or her organisation". Damji's company was dissolved in April 2015.Coming Home (Cardiff) Ltd—Filing history
,

. Retrieved 2018-09-02. On 19 August 2016 Damji was imprisoned for five years, after being found guilty of three counts of

.Stalker jailed for campaign against married church warden
,

itv.com itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV1 brand. The website offers the ITVX streaming service, with sections for ITV News, ...

, 20 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-22.. She had been originally charged with one count of stalking, on 9 January 2014. She was released on bail shortly thereafter. While out on bail, she committed two other counts of stalking: one with the same man as for the first count, and one with a different man. She had stalked under the name Farah Dan and other aliases. The stalking of the first victim included the following: sending over 180 hoax calls and texts to him; emailing the man's business associates and friends; inventing and blogging about false allegations of domestic abuse of his wife; sending sexually explicit material to his 16-year-old son; making threats of sexual violence involving his six-year-old daughter. (Damji had been previously accused of stalking the writer William Dalrymple, in 2004. Dalrymple notified the British police, but no criminal charges could be made because the alleged stalking occurred when Damji followed Dalrymple to India, and so was outside British jurisdiction. During the late 1990s, when Damji lived in the U.S., she allegedly "terrorized several ex-lovers with a ''Fatal Attraction''-like intensity".) In September 2017, while imprisoned at Bronzefield Prison, Damji filed a Request for Information with the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. The Request was for information relating to female prisoners under the supervision of a specified member of staff at the prison. The Ministry decided to reject the Request, on the basis that the Request was vexatious. In February 2018, Damji appealed the Ministry's decision to the

Information Commissioner's Office The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is a non-departmental public body which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. It is the independent regu ...

(ICO). On 6 June 2018, the ICO upheld the Ministry's decision, and further noted that Damji's "abusive language aimed at a specific individual suggests that amjihas a personal issue with the individual named in her request".Freedom of Information Act 2000 - FS50725990
, Information Commissioner's Office. On 4 July 2018, Damji appealed the ICO decision to the

First-tier Tribunal The First-tier Tribunal is a first-instance general tribunal in the United Kingdom. It was created in 2008 as part of a programme, enacted in the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, to rationalise the tribunal system, and has since t ...

; on 27 November 2018, the Tribunal dismissed her appeal.First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) information rights appeals
Retrieved 2019-01-24. On 19 October 2018 Damji appeared in court accused of breaching a restraining order. In June 2021 Damji commenced legal proceedings against the National Health Service, arguing that they had failed adequate mental health services to her while she was imprisoned.

Extradition proceedings in Ireland

Facing trial in London for breaching a restraining order, Damji fled to Ireland in February 2020 where she was arrested in August 2020. The

High Court (Ireland) The High Court () of Ireland is a court which deals at first instance with the most serious and important civil and criminal cases. When sitting as a criminal court it is called the Central Criminal Court and sits with judge and jury. It als ...

ordered her extradition back to the UK in January 2022. Damji had argued that mental health services in UK prisons were "inadequate" for her needs and commenced an appeal against her extradition.

2024 incarceration

In March 2024 Damji was arrested at London's

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

on the charges of theft of passport, harassment and fraud by the misuse of credit card relating to her ex-boyfriend. She has been held on remand at the HM Prison Bronzefield.

References

External links

Trial of Damji in the High Court of South Africa
— Southern African Legal Information Institute
Farah Damji - South Africa
" —Damji's affiliation wit
OffshoreTradingCo
* —magazine website
''Another Generation'' Issue #9
—the last issue of the magazine * —website for Damji's book
''R v Farah Damji'' [2011] EWCA Crim 2025
—Court of Appeal Judgment
Farah Dan - Personal Appointments
—Kazuri Group directorships (

)
Farah Dan - Personal Appointments
—Desistance Limited directorship (

)
Causelist
—Court hearings for stalking charges
County Court at Central London
—Farah Dan versus

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service. Sir Mark Rowley was appointed to the post on 8 July 2022 after Dame Cressida Dick announced her resignation in February 2022. The rank of Comm ...

(2017-05-22) {{DEFAULTSORT:Damji, Farah Living people 1966 births People convicted of stalking People with borderline personality disorder British people convicted of fraud British people convicted of perverting the course of justice English female criminals British people convicted of theft British women writers People from Kampala Ugandan emigrants to the United Kingdom British people of Indian descent British people of Indo-Ugandan descent Khoja Ismailis Ugandan refugees Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales