Jail for conman who took OAP's £34,000

Published on Thursday 10 July 2008 22:38

A MAN who conned an elderly woman out of £34,000 for building and gardening work he never did was jailed for two years yesterday.

Dale Robertson, 29, took cheques ranging from 750 to 5,500 during 2006 from the woman in her seventies, who is understood to suffer from dementia.

He said he needed the money up front to cover the cost of materials to lay pathways and a rockery, and to demolish a garage at her bungalow.

Robertson, of New Pitsligo, was caught when he turned up at the door of Mary Wilson's home in Peterhead to demand more money.

He was charged with fraud and found guilty after a three-day trial at Peterhead Sheriff Court last month.

Yesterday, his solicitor, Bruce MacDonald, pleaded for leniency, telling the court that Robertson was the main carer for his father, who suffered from breathing problems as well as kidney and liver disease.

"He is very important to his father. His father would not be able to survive on his own. He can be quite volatile and Mr Raymond is able to deal with it. He is concerned about what would happen to his father if he is not around to look after him."

However, Sheriff Malcolm Garden said there was no other punishment to fit his "callous and calculated" crime and jailed Robertson for two years.

"This court requires to give a clear message that these types of offences against vulnerable members of the community will not be tolerated," the sheriff said.