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Conman tried to pocket £350 from victim, 93

A trickster tried to pocket £350 by cashing a cheque stolen from a 93-year-old man who has since died, a judge heard.

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Suspicious staff at the TSB Bank in Walsall blocked the payment and alerted police because it was unusual for such a large amount to be withdrawn from the account, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Raja Khan admitted trying to cash the £350 cheque at the bank on April 4 but claimed to have be given it by another man whose full name he did not know, said Miss Emma Wynne-Owen, prosecuting.

The elderly victim, now deceased, had been tricked into giving his name, address and other personal details to the other man after meeting him by chance while waiting for treatment at Walsall Manor Hospital, the court heard.

That person then rang the pensioner's wife alleging that her husband would have to go into a hostel that would cost £250, it was said. Miss Wynne-Owen continued: "He then went to the address and she let him in thinking he was a hospital employee. While her back was turned he stole her purse and cheque book."

The man then passed one of the cheques to 41-year-old Khan who did not know the person to whom it belonged because he not been at the hospital when the conman struck.

Mr Oliver Woolhouse, defending, confirmed: "There is no suggestion that he was at the hospital when the patient was spoken to by the other man. He was only asked to get involved because he had a bank account into which the cheque could be paid."

Khan from Manor Road Precinct, Walsall had been held in custody for five weeks after breaking the terms of his bail by not turning up for an earlier hearing of the case. He pleaded guilty to false representation and the bail act offence and was given a 12 month community order under supervision with 150 hours unpaid work. He received a further one month in custody for breaching his bail, meaning he could be released immediately because of the time spent in custody waiting for the case to be resolved. Another man has been arrested in connection with the inquiry and will be dealt with at a later date.

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