Conman’s reign hits skids after pants find

A TOURIST conman who tricked hotels across Britain was finally caught – by the skidmarks on his dirty underpants.

Alexander Hewitt, 56, travelled the length of the country staying at guesthouses and B&BS, which he fled without paying.

The swindler’s trademark was to leave an item of clothing behind, telling owners he would return.

But a court heard his plan backfired after police were able to track him down using DNA left behind on stained underwear.

Hoteliers gave the dirty washing to police, who used DNA science to prove it was Hewitt.

He will now spend six months in jail after admitting his scam.

Flintshire magistrate Alastair Williams said: “You have travelled the length and breadth of the country staying in hotels and making off without payment.”

Prosecutor Susan Duncombe said: “That is how he lives. It’s what he does professionally.

“Fortunately, police got a DNA hit off his clothing and that is how he was tracked down.”

Gary Harvey, defending bearded Hewitt, said: “It is ruining his life and he plans to stop doing it.” ERIC Daniel Pierre Cantona is French, which goes a fair way to explaining his mentalism.

The Man Utd legend had a disciplinary record that would make Attila the Hun blush, and underscored his on-pitch aggression with a flying kung-fu kick at a fan in 1995.

Having been red-carded for a lunge on the Crystal Palace keeper, he leapt twofooted at Matthew Simmons in the crowd, following up the assault with a few right-handers for good measure.

The astonishing attack made headlines worldwide and brought King Eric an arrest for assault and a two-week prison sentence, later reduced to 120 hours community service. The FA banned him for eight months, fined him £30k and dubbed him