A heartless fraudster who took £50,000 from a good-Samaritan pensioner has been put behind bars.
Scott Hanson pestered the victim, who is in his 70s, into giving him sums of money for various things, including rail tickets, rent, and damage to his property. Hanson made the man believe he would be paid back after telling him he had a job at Asda and was due to receive £81,000 that had been left to him in a will.
But the lying 38-year-old never paid the victim back, and his crime only came to light when the pensioner tried to withdraw a large sum of money from his bank account and staff became concerned and called the police. On Wednesday, Hanson appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for fraud. He pleaded guilty to the charge at a previous hearing.
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Ellen Wright, prosecuting, said the incident came to light on June 7, last year, when staff at a Lloyds bank in Durham contacted police after the victim withdrew a large sum of money, which seemed "out of character". She said: "When asked why he was taking the money out he gave a vague answer."
Concerned, the staff contacted the police, who attended the bank and spoke to the victim. He then told the officers he had been loaning money to Hanson who he had met while volunteering at a homeless charity. The court heard that Hanson had stayed at the home of the man occasionally and he was aware the defendant had spent time in prison.
Ms Wright said: "He had provided money to the defendant for train tickets in the past and for a short time the complainant and the defendant lost touch. But in January 2021 the defendant got back in touch with him and began asking for loans for various things, such as rent and damage to his property.
"The victim gave Hanson money on a loan basis having been told he had been left £81,000 in a will by a woman. The victim also believed the defendant had a job at Asda and believed he could repay him from that and the will. The victim felt that by paying for courses it would assist the defendant keeping employment and him getting the money back. That's why he didn't stop."
The court heard that Hanson made "repeated promises" to give the money back, but he would also give "deadlines" to his victim, telling him when he needed money by. Hanson would tell the victim that if he did not get the money he asked for, he would lose his job. The court was told Hanson took £50,000 from the man between January and June, last year, and paid none of it back.
Ms Wright said that police later obtained text messages that Hanson had sent the man, saying he was going to do "something foolish to himself" if he didn't receive money as he was in a "huge mess". When the victim told Hanson he had "reached his limit" and did not want to give him any more money, he began "pestering" him by sending numerous texts. He also played on the man's sympathy by telling him both his parents had died.
The court heard Hanson, of no fixed address, had 20 previous convictions for 35 offences, including four convictions for fraud and theft. In 2009, Hanson had even defrauded the same victim. In 2019, Hanson approached a church and introduced himself to a member, striking up a friendship before making requests for money. The victim of that offence believed they were doing their "Christian duty" by helping him with funds.
Fiona Lamb, defending, said Hanson had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and said his only living family member was his brother after both his parents died. She said: "Losing his parents has had a detrimental impact on his health and wellbeing and he finds it difficult to obtain and keep employment due to him regularly being in prison. He wishes that it didn't get to where it got to and accepts he didn't pay anything back."
Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, jailed Hanson for 32 months and imposed a lifetime restraining order, banning contact with the victim.
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