Three men who preyed on a 90-year-old Llandrindod Wells man and milked him of his £30,000 life savings, after realising he was vulnerable while decorating for him, have been jailed.
Leslie John Pullin, of Cefnllys Lane, died in Llandrindod Wells Hospital on August 4 this year, but he had previously told the police that the crime had a profound effect on him.
Danny Warner, 40, his nephew Sean Warner, 21, of Leominster, and Adam Park, 20, of Hereford, admitted conspiracy to blackmail.
On Monday at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, Danny Warner was given three years’ jail, Sean Warner 27 months and Park 18 months in a young offenders’ institute.
The court was told the Warners had completed decorating work at Mr Pullin’s home in 2007 and he was satisfied with it and paid them £4,500.
But in December 2008, Danny Warner made a return visit to Mr Pullin’s home and offered to remove old gardening equipment and weed killers remaining from Mr Pullin’s former garden supplies business, from his garage.
Mr Pullin paid them £300 for the work – but it was to be the start of a long-running, complicated scam and would eventually result in Mr Pullin handing over his entire life savings.
A week later Danny Warner returned and said their van had been damaged by the items they took from Mr Pullin’s garage and he would have to pay £400 for it to be repaired.
The demands for money increased – payment for a haulage company to dispose of the chemicals and then the gang forged letters and faked calls from fictitious solicitors, claiming Mr Pullin was responsible for the improper disposal of waste and he would have to pay the costs of it.
Prosecuting, Richard Ace said: “The gang forged letters and telephone calls pretending to be solicitors.
“It was a scam to get him to part with large sums of his savings. He used his savings from the Principality and then had to cash in £26,000 of premium bonds.”
Mr Pullin also received a call from someone claiming to be a farmer saying his land had been contaminated by the toxic waste and his horse had had to be put down. He was told if the matter went to court it could cost £80,000 but if he paid £8,000 that would be the end it.
Fake solicitor ‘Mr Cornell’ said he would arrange collection of the payment but Mr Pullin, petrified he would have to sell his home to pay the demand, went to the police.
The Warners’ fingerprints were discovered on the receipts and on July 27, a recording device was fitted to Mr Pullin’s phone when he was contacted by ‘Mr Cornell’. Analysis showed the voice was in fact, Danny Warner. On August 14, the police were at Mr Pullin’s house when Adam Park, dressed in a suit and pretending to be ‘Mr Cornell’ arrived to collect £8,000.
In his victim impact statement Mr Pullin said: “This has had a profound effect on me as I worked hard all my life and I purchased premium bonds to be comfortable in my retirement.
“They left me in a situation where I felt I may have to sell my house and I am very hurt by this.
“It has had a profound effect on my health and well-being and I’ve had a couple of strokes and a heart attack.”
The court heard he was relieved when they were arrested but died of natural causes before seeing them brought to justice.
Danny Warner had convictions for 22 theft type matters, Sean Warner had previous convictions for 15 theft type matters, which included a £1,000 deception charge where the victim was an Alzheimer’s sufferer, and Park had convictions for 28 theft type offences.
Defending Danny Warner, Simon Rippon, said he now apologised for his actions and accepted he had played a key role in the scam. He said his wife was having tests for cervical cancer. He said the scam started out as legitimate work and later became blackmail.
Defending Park, Mr Rippon said his role in the scam was minimal. Park was sorry and intended to turn his life around by leaving Herefordshire and enrolling on courses in prison.
Nicola Preece, for Sean Warner, said he was deeply embarrassed and disappointed by his behaviour and had let himself and his family and friends down. She said he apologised to Mr Pullin’s family.
Judge John Curran told the men they had carried out a ‘wicked scam’. “You realised you were dealing with an elderly man who lived alone and possibly had some money in the bank.
“You milked him of his entire life savings,” he said.
The three will return to court for a proceeds of crime application.
Powys Superintendent Huw Meredith said: “These individuals are a prolific group of offenders who specialise in rogue trader and distraction burglary offences.
“They had successfully conned this elderly gentleman out of approximately £30,000. Regrettably the elderly victim died prior to the offenders pleading guilty in court.”