Mortgage fraud probe: 14 charged by Durham Police Fourteen people have been charged in connection with what Durham Police has described as a large-scale mortgage fraud conspiracy. The 11 men and three women are from the Newton Aycliffe, Barnard Castle, Darlington, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Bradford areas. All have been charged with conspiracy to defraud and will appear before magistrates in Darlington later. It is thought to involve sums of between £4m and £5m. A Durham Police spokesman said the charges follow a lengthy investigation codenamed Operation Bamburgh.