Fake police officer fraudster jailed for pensioner scam

Judges at the Court of Appeal in London overturned a sentence deemed "too lenient"

A fraudster who posed as a police officer to try to force his elderly victim to hand over his life savings has been jailed after his initial sentence was deemed "unduly lenient".

Michael O'Neill, 28, of Grays in Essex, tried to con the man out of more than £90,000 in a scam involving building work.

In July, he was handed a 21-month suspended sentence.

The Court of Appeal overturned the ruling and jailed him for three years.

O'Neill, 28, from Pilgrims Lane in North Stifford, was thought to have worked with a number of people pretending to be builders, and demanded payment for supposedly vital works needed at the victim's property.

City of London Police said O'Neill later posed as an officer pretending to be investigating the builders, and demanded the victim pay for court costs.

They said the victim initially paid around £2,000 to the fake builders, but refused to pay more and raised concerns with a neighbour.

He was then visited by genuine officers from the Metropolitan Police, but was later approached by O'Neill, pretending to be an officer.

Hatton Garden meet-up

He asked for £15,000, claiming there was a court case involving the fake builders and the pensioner would be entitled to compensation.

The victim handed over a cheque, but was then also told he needed to pay £75,000 to the court via debit card, police said.

The pair met in the Hatton Garden area of London to complete the transaction at a shop, but after card payments were declined the victim went to a NatWest Bank branch.

Staff became suspicious and called police.

O'Neill admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and was originally given the suspended sentence at Inner London Crown Court.

The case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General Alex Chalk, and three judges found O'Neill's that sentence was "unduly lenient" and jailed him for three years and one month.

Mr Chalk said: "This was a sustained and thoroughly dishonest scam designed to manipulate a particularly vulnerable victim."