A RENFREWSHIRE crook who made £1.7million from exploiting vulnerable homeowners is ‘incensed’ by prosecutors and wants to meet the Lord Advocate, a court has heard.

Edwin McLaren, 57, told judge Lord Arthurson today how he wants to sit down with Scotland’s most senior prosecutor Dorothy Bain KC. 

McLaren and his wife Lorraine, from Bridge of Weir, are the subject of a proceeds of crime action which has been brought by the Crown.

It believes the McLarens have financial assets which they obtained through criminal conduct. 

But on Monday, the High Court in Edinburgh heard McLaren claim that prosecutors are refusing to co-operate with him and provide information for his case.

He also alleged that the Crown have acted illegally and seized property belonging to his daughter Melissa.

McLaren told Lord Arthurson: “They are not providing me with information. 

“I’ve requested a meeting with the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain.

"I’m incensed with how I’ve been treated. The Crown have seized my daughter’s property illegally.”

The pair were responsible for Scotland’s longest ever criminal trial. 

McLaren was jailed for 11 years in 2017 for his involvement in a £1.6million property fraud scheme. 

His 56-year-old wife Lorraine was found guilty of two charges involving a fraudulent mortgage application on their own home and money laundering involving a sum of £128,000. 

He was found guilty of 29 charges after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow that began in September 2015 and heard evidence over 320 days. 

She was sentenced to two and a half years behind bars but was released after nine months. 

During their trial, a court heard how McLaren preyed on vulnerable people by arranging for this title deeds of their homes to be transferred to his associates without the victims’ knowledge. 

The estimated cost of the 20-month trial was £7.5million. 

Jurors heard of the couple’s lavish lifestyle which included luxury holidays in Dubai and spending £100,000 on a ring for her and private schools for their children.

Last year, prosecutor Murdo MacTaggart told Lord Arthurson that the Crown and Edwin McLaren had agreed that McLaren had made £1,722,366.64 during his “course of criminal conduct”. 

However, both sides had agreed that the Crown could only recover £4,000 from Edwin McLaren at that point in time. 

Meanwhile, Lorraine’s advocate Tony Lenehan KC told the court that she had also came to an agreement with the Crown - she had made £694,950 from criminal conduct. However, prosecutors can only recover £4,215.38 from her at this time. 

The legislation on proceeds of crime means that the Crown can return to court to seize more money if it becomes aware that the McLarens have more assets. 

Now, the Crown has returned to court in a bid to seize more assets from the duo. The new sums being sought haven’t been disclosed.

At a hearing held in October, the couple asked Lord Arthurson on Monday to prevent press reporting of the case. 

The pair also didn’t want details of how the Crown are seeking to confiscate cash from their pension pots made known.

They also wanted no publicity surrounding a recent seizure made by police of jewellery belonging to Lorraine. 

The Crown reckons the assets could be seized under proceeds of crime legislation and the cash used to help the Scottish public. 

However, their bids failed. 

On Monday, Lord Arthurson fixed further proceedings to take place in the case. The full hearing will take place on June 1 and June 2. 

A procedural hearing will call on April 17.