Two years prison for conman

A CRUEL conman who deliberately preyed on Oldham’s vulnerable elderly people has been jailed.

Unemployed labourer Patrick Doran 22, carefully targeted his victims, always using the same scam to trick them out of their savings

He would knock at the door, says he was working locally and had discovered their drains needed clearing.

Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court heard one of his victims was a 79-year-old pensioner from Chadderton, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

Doran, of no fixed address, took her to her bank in his girlfrend’s car, where she withdrew £2,000 to pay for the work.

Bank staff were so concerned they called the police.

The court was told that the offences all happened within 11 days in March. He had out of prison on licence for less than a month.

His first Oldham victim was an 81-year-old woman in Chadderton. Doran told her it would cost £1,400 to unblock her drains and asked for £500 up front.

She had become concerned and phoned police.

His third victim, in Royton, paid Doran £2,500 over several days.

David Bruce prosecuting, said days later Doran tried the same trick on pensioners in Frodsham, near Warrington. Both called police.

Narinder Rathour defending, said his client had been one of a group of con-men and had never used violence.

He said the labourer felt a shame and remorse.

Doran pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud and was sentenced to two years imprisonment.