How gang took cash from elderly

JAMIE Baxter, prosecuting, said that the first incident happened on April 3 last year at the 70-year-old’s home in Haig Avenue.

Shinks told the man that they would clean his gutters for £20 and he agreed and then saw the other defendants walking towards the house.

Mr Baxter said: “The householder saw Scott pull the end ridge tile from the roof and claimed that the surrounding cement was rotten and that the three adjoining ridge tiles were also in a similar state of disrepair.”

They said that they would repair the tiles for £300 and after he reluctantly agreed they returned with a bag of cement and a bucket and Scott was seen applying it by hand.

Shinks and Maughan drove him to a cashpoint and he later told police he only paid as he felt intimidated and wanted them to go.

Two days later Maughan and two other men called at the home of an 87-year-old man in Old Park Lane and said urgent work costing £300 was needed to the barge boards at the side of his house, said Mr Baxter.

When the victim said he had no money they drove him to a cashpoint.

The man took out £400, Maughan took it all off him, they dropped him near his home and left.

Scott, 24, and Shinks denied involvement and a not guilty verdict was recorded against Scott and the charge against Shinks was left to lie on the file.