Fraudster posed as elderly victim’s grandson in bank

‘Thoroughly dishonest man’ targeted OAP

A fraudster who posed as his elderly victim’s grandson in an £188,000 fraud has been jailed.

Colin Fox’s 85-year-old victim, who worked his entire life for the savings, died a year after being targeted and never saw justice.

The 43-year-old was handed four years custody at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, August 13.

“At the time, Mr Cook was 85 years old and living in a care home, he sadly died in March 2019,” prosecutor Max Mills said.

“Mr Fox was living with Angela White, she had known Mr Cook for some time and was taking care of him, she had access to his bank account.

“It is unclear how, but Mr Fox obtained access to the account.”

The father-of-two, who was in a relationship and living with Miss White, siphoned £188,397 into his own Nationwide account in four tranches over consecutive days.

But the deposits came to the attention of the fraud team who froze the account.

Fox and an unidentified

elderly stooge attended Nationwide in Ashford high street three weeks later, in a bid to unlock the account.

“That elderly male introduced himself as Henry Cook, and Mr Fox said he was his grandfather, and that his grandfather had transferred money to him so they could purchase Rolex watches,” Mr Miss continued.

However, the cashier immediately became suspicious and alerted colleagues who separated the suspects.

Both men were able to flee the bank prompting a police hunt which led to Fox’s arrest; the second suspect remains unidentified.

When police told Mr Cook he had been the victim of fraud, he said: “I have worked for years for that money.”

Told not to worry, he replied: “I am a worrier.”

Edmund Burge QC told Fox he was “a thoroughly dishonest man” who had “planned significantly” to commit the crime.

“You somehow accessed paperwork that was being delivered to the house and discovered Mr Cook had a considerable sum of money in a building society account, and in preparation for a fraud you opened an account at the same building society,” he added.

Fox, of Christchurch Road, Ashford, who has 22 convictions for 48 offences, pleaded guilty earlier this year to committing fraud by false representation between February and March 2018.

His lawyer Rashinderjeet Panesar argued although the victim was vulnerable it was not a “high impact offence” and Fox is remorseful.

Fox claimed he was using the money to buy Rolex watches for the victim; right, the fatherof-two tried to unlock an account in Ashford’s Nationwide

Picture: Kent Police Colin Fox was jailed for four years