WISHAW CONMAN BACK IN JAIL FOR WORK SCAMS

Bogus caller targeted older victims

A cruel conman targeted Wishaw victims within weeks of being freed from jail.

Jordan Nisbet duped old folk, including an 83-yearold dementia sufferer. Other victims were aged 80, 74, 61 and 46.

Nisbet, 22, was sent back to prison for 18 months when he admitted conning five

residents in Wishaw out of £410 in June this year.

He was jailed for two years in 2017 on similar charges and released on April 27 this year.

Paula Russell, prosecuting, told Hamilton Sheriff Court the accused knocked on doors in Braedale Crescent, Swallow Road, Abbotsford Road and Ivanhoe Crescent, offering to do roof repairs and gutter work.

One woman paid him for work which he completed, but he then got another £110 from her to carry out further repairs and disappeared, leaving the woman’s shed without a roof.

Another victim who paid up front watched him bring a set of ladders as if ready to start work. He even waved at her, but he didn’t clean the gutters as he promised.

Nisbet then told another customer that materials she’d paid for were in his dad’s van “round the corner”. But when she looked there was no one there and Nisbet ran off.

His lawyer, Stephen Macbride, admitted the crimes were “completely unacceptable”, but claimed Nisbet had been used by a family of travellers to “front up” their operation.

Mr Macbride told the court: “He was the public face, presenting himself to people and negotiating sums of money.

“The enterprise was doomed from the start as Nisbet has lived in Wishaw his whole life and has a quite distinctive appearance. It was clearly only a matter of time before the authorities became involved.

“Any money he received was passed on to others although I appreciate that’s of no consolation to the victims. Threats were made and he foolishly became involved.”

Mr Macbride added that dad of two Nisbet, who’d been on remand since June, plans to face up to his family responsibilities when he’s released from jail.

Passing sentence, Sheriff David Bicket told Nisbet: “You are not new to this kind of offending.

“Some of these charges involve elderly people and others do not. Nonetheless, they are all offences which are distasteful to ordinary people.

“I would have imposed 24 months custody but will restrict it to 18 months because of your early plea, and it will be backdated to June 21.”