Serial fraudster from Sunderland back in jail for conning 88-year-old South Tyneside woman weeks after release

Anthony Jarrett, 43, was fresh out of prison when he tricked an 88-year-old South Tyneside woman, who family members believe may be suffering from dementia.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that Jarrett overcharged his victim before using her bank card to make a series of cash withdrawals.

He was jailed for almost two years last March after pocketing more than £3,000 in deposits for gardening and construction jobs from elderly victims in South Tyneside and Sunderland to fund his drug habit.

But after taking the money he failed to do the work or did very little.

The conman was released last June due to time spent on remand but within weeks he had defrauded 12 victims out of a total of £3,575 using the same tactics.

In February of this year he was jailed for two years, but was back on the streets again by October, when he targeted his latest victim.

Graham O'Sullivan, prosecuting, said: "The defendant carried out some painting work - about £118 was the going rate.

"The defendant charged her £750 and then in fact took £940 in total over a period of three or four days.

"On October 17, her nephew went to visit with his family for her birthday the next day.

"He needed to go to the shops for something and she gave him her bank card."

Mr O'Sullivan told the court that the nephew then noticed her balance was showing to be a lot lower than it should have been - and she later told him she had previously lent her card to Jarrett.

He added: "She told her nephew she drove the man who had done the work to ASDA in Boldon.

"Whilst she was getting petrol that man went to the cashpoint to use her card.

"Her nephew was very concerned with what she had told him and he rang Halifax."

It was later confirmed that Jarrett has visited a cashpoint on three occasions to withdraw money to a sum total of £940 across October 14, 15 and 16.

The court also heard that the victim has "lost her trust" as a result of the incident.

After being alerted, police contacted a local painter for a rough estimate of the work done who confirmed it would cost in the region of £110 and the defendant was arrested soon after.

Jarrett, who has similar offences on a record of 24 previous convictions for 71 offences, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.

Mr O'Sullivan added: "He appears to target elderly victims and take advantage of their vulnerability."

Vic Laffey, defending, made no arguments to the court that Jarrett should accept anything other than immediate prison, and admitted he had suffered from alcohol and drug problems.

Mr Laffey said: "His mitigation is his guilty plea in the magistrates court and that is essentially it in a nutshell.

"He understands that the only sentence that is likely to be imposed here is that of immediate custody.

"He had been out of prison for about four weeks.

"There had been a problem at the hostel he was at which led him to being effectively homeless.

"That led him to start using drugs and alcohol again and that in turn led him to need money and that led him to commit the offence, the type has done in the past.

"This lady was the unfortunate victim of that offending.

"As I understand it he was using the money to repay drug debts."

Mr Recorder Green jailed Jarrett - who was previously of Hudson Road in Sunderland - to two years in prison.

The judge said: "You choose your victims with care.

"Your youngest previous victim was 61 and the oldest was 92.

"You got her into thinking you were a nice guy and then you shamefully subjected her to a cruel form of exploitation.

"Your record of picking vulnerable victims and then fleecing them without flinching aggravates this offence very substantially in my judgment."

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