Pensioner ‘left with nothing’ after odd-job conman stole £160,000
APENSIONER has been fleeced out of more than £160,000 by a conman who treated her as an “easy source of income” for a decade, a court has heard.
Jason Johnson won the trust of the woman by doing odd jobs and errands, then for the next 10 years systematically exploited her and took almost every penny she had.
His victim is now reliant on benefits and charitable handouts for the first time in her life, and said she is upset because she cannot afford to buy Christmas or birthday presents for her daughter and granddaughter.
Swansea Crown Court heard that the fraud began in 2006, when Johnson knocked on the pensioner’s front door and asked if she had any jobs that needed doing.
Paul Hobson, for the prosecution, said the decision taken by the woman that day “would have farreaching consequences for her”.
Johnson began paying regular visits to his victim’s bungalow, carrying out the occasional errand and “always finding jobs to do” – and telling her all about his family in order to win her trust.
Over the course of the next 10 years the woman paid Johnson around £200,000 for jobs on the house and in the garden – in return he did little or no work at the property.
Mr Hobson said in 2013 alone the woman paid Johnson some £46,000, the following year £34,000, and the year after that another £42,000.
The barrister said: “Mr Johnson was fleecing this lady. He effectively used her as an easy source of income. This was a cynical and calculating exploitation of the defendant’s trust in him.”
The court heard that a subsequent police investigation uncovered the victim’s cheque book, which showed the scale of the con – in one month alone, November 2013, the woman paid Johnson £7,480 with multiple references to “Jason roof ” on the cheque stubs.
Mr Hobson said it was a pattern of spending that was repeated month after month. He added: “If this work was genuine, the victim must have had the leakiest roof in south Wales.”
A surveyor examined the bungalow and garden, and said no substantial work or repair had been done for 20 or 30 years, adding that for the amount the woman had handed over the bungalow could have been demolished and a new two-storey four-bedroom house built in its stead.
The police investigation also uncovered what 49-year-old Johnson had spent his victim’s money on – gambling. Officers found he had gambled away some £62,000 at the Aspers casino in Swansea, as well as at Ladbrokes bookmakers, and Castle Bingo.
Johnson also took his victim to a car showroom where she signed an agreement to buy his daughter a car – with monthly payments of £193.
Johnson, of Cwmbach Road, Fforestfach, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud – one of £8,000 relating to the car loan, and one of £160,000 covering the years 2006 to 2016.
The court heard the difference between the total amount given to Johnson and the amount in the charge reflected the fact that he had carried out some work for his victim over that period.
Adam Butler, for Johnson, said his client regretted what he had done, and wished to apologise to his victim.
He said the defendant had done chores and errands for the woman – such as going to the shops – and had done work at the property, but had admitted by his pleas that “the work was not to the value he charged”.
He added that the defendant had a problem with gambling but had sought help for it.
Judge Paul Thomas QC said the starting-point for sentencing was five years – giving the defendant a 20 per cent discount for his guilty plea that was reduced to four years on each of the two counts, both sentences to run concurrently, making a total of four years in prison. Johnson will serve half that time in custody before being released on licence.
Judge Thomas also made a Proceeds of Crime Act order.
The court heard the defendant had benefited from his criminality to the tune of £168,000 but only had £3,395 available – all bar £100 of it tied up in his daughter’s car – and an order in the sum of £3,395 was made, with four months in prison in default if the money isn’t paid.