Walsall doorstep conman must repay Black Country victims
A doorstep conman from Walsall who tricked 28 victims into handing over thousands of pounds by saying he needed money for a sick relative has been ordered by a court to repay his victims.
Gulfaham Akhtar cold-called at addresses in Walsall, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and north Birmingham, claiming he needed to sell his dead father's car because it reminded his seriously ill mother of her loss.
But after handing over deposits and accompanying him to Walsall Manor Hospital, the man would disappear with their cash. His victims, aged between 51 and 79, handed over up to £500 each. The 43-year-old fraudster blamed his crimes on his gambling addiction – saying he needed the money to pay extensive debts.
He was brought to justice after being tracked through a Wolverhampton housing estate by a member of the public who recognised him from an appeal in the media and who believed the same man had approached them last year.
The man relayed Akhtar's movements to police via a 999 call and, minutes later, officers arrived on the scene to arrest him.
Akhtar, from Reedswood Gardens, was ordered to pay £7,070 compensation when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court where he was also given an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a 12-month supervision order.
Pc Joel Haden, from Bloxwich police station, said: "I am pleased that the man has been ordered to pay his victims back the cash he conned from them. The man manipulated well-meaning members of the public who fell for his sob story and wanted to help out where they could.
"It was thanks to a man who himself had been approached by the fraudster that we were able to make an arrest so soon after the crimes came to our attention.
"The police appeal for information triggered his memory and when walking through Wolverhampton's Ashmore Park he spotted a man who matched the description and who he felt was the suspect. He did exactly the right thing – kept his distance, called 999, monitored the man's movements and phoned it through to police, who were able to dispatch officers to the scene."
The fraudster struck between September last year and the start of April.
Akhtar was sentenced after pleading guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing.
He had also also asked for a further 23 to be taken into consideration.
