'Despicable' conman took thousands of pounds from pensioners for jobs he had no intention of doing

A man who exploited elderly people for money by taking thousands of pounds for manual work on their houses has been described as "despicable".

Craig Francis appeared at Swansea Crown Court after targeting three elderly people in order to pay for "alcohol and drugs".

He knocked on the doors of his victims, who were in their 70s and 80s, and persuaded them to pay him for odd-jobs and building work before simply pocketing the cash, the court heard.

The prosecutor, Caitlin Brazel, recounted how all three incidents happened in the village of Skewen near Neath during a period of a few weeks. He was finally detained when the son of one of his victims, along with the aid of neighbours, restrained him after he revisited the property in search of more money.

Sending 36-year-old Francis to prison, a judge described his exploitation of his elderly victims as "despicable".

The court heard how Francis had approached an 81-year-old woman offering to do any work needed.

Mentioning that the rear guttering needed fixing, they agreed upon a price of £240. Francis proceeded to ask the woman to drive him to a shop in order to buy supplies. He told the victim the items would be delivered in a few days.

He returned to her property the following day, requesting a further £148 for more items, as well as a lift to Neath. The woman refused the request and the defendant left.

Although the victim had no further contact with Francis, she claims she saw him knocking at other doors along the same street.

The second victim, an 81-year-old man with hearing loss, had paid Francis a sum of £2,700 for the promised jobs.

Francis proceeded to say he had injured his thumb and could not do the work at that time.

The final victim, a 78-year-old woman, paid Francis £166 for guttering and other manual jobs. The defendant then left a note claiming he needed an additional £200.

However, when he returned to collect the cash, he was met at the door by the woman's son who confronted Francis, and detained him with the help of neighbours, until the police arrived.

Francis was arrested and answered "no comment" to all questions asked in his first interview before making full admissions in his second interview when he told officers he had spent the money on alcohol and drugs.

Craig Francis, of Lon Las Villas, Lon Las, Skewen, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

He had five previous convictions for six offences including a robbery from 2009.

Jon Tarrant, defending Francis, said that at the time of the incidents, his client was "mired in problems with alcohol and cocaine".

He said his client has been sober for 143 days and recognises in his sobriety how "selfish and mean" his actions were. He added that his client is extremely remorseful.

Judge Paul Thomas KC told the defendant he had taken advantage of three vulnerable people in a "despicable" series of offences.

He said Francis took the money from the householders because he saw them as "easy marks" and he said he had no doubt the defendant had taken the cash with no intention of ever doing any work.

With a one-third discount for his guilty plea, Francis was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison. Francis will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

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