Neil Jackson lied about son's death in Cardiff rent con

A man who falsely claimed his son had died from cancer to scam would-be tenants out of thousands of pounds has been jailed for two years.

Neil Jackson, 35, of Penylan, Cardiff, posed as a landlord online and took £12,840 from nine people but failed to let the three-bedroom home out.

He took deposits before repeatedly cancelling move-in dates claiming his son was battling cancer and had died.

Jackson previously admitted fraud at Cardiff Crown Court.

Andrew Kendall, prosecuting, said Jackson told his victims he needed £1,400 to secure the property and arrange a move-in date only to later claim he could not drop off the keys to Cardiff because his son was ill in Plymouth.

"He'd say things like he blamed nurses for not stitching his son back properly and even told one victim his son had died," he said.

'Elaborate lies'

Mr Kendall said the lies had a "great impact" on some victims, with one couple left homeless and another left living in a caravan.

He also pressured one woman into borrowing money from friends and selling possessions so he could "reserve" the home for her.

Mr Kendall said Jackson was eventually found out when some victims found news reports on him being jailed in 2012 for again using his two-year-old son to defraud £60,000.

The former Tesco store manager tricked his workmates for three years, claiming he had cancer and his son had cerebral palsy.

Staff donated money to pay for private treatment but he used it to fund holidays to Las Vegas and Hawaii.

David Pinnell, defending, said Jackson was "genuinely remorseful" and had used the money to pay off debts to people who protected him in prison.

Jailing him for two years, Recorder of Cardiff Eleri Rees, told him: "You have to understand given your track record for elaborate lies the court finds it hard to take what you're saying at face value.

"Some of the victims were in precarious financial situations so the impact on them has been very serious. Others ended up living in a caravan."