Conman who preyed on pensioner is facing prison

Dec 12 2006 By Hilary Clixby, The Journal

A conman is facing jail after admitting swindling a pensioner out of thousands of pounds in a long-running scam.

Joseph Varey duped the 75-year-old out of £13,130 by claiming he had either carried out or would carry out building and gardening work or that he had or would arrange for others to do the work.

The deception took place between August 1, 2004 and April 18, 2005 when the victim was living in Lemington, Newcastle.

In a further scam he cheated another man, aged 85, from Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland out of £370 by claiming he or others were going to hire equipment and remove a stump from his garden.

He also obtained £180 cash from the man for other work he claimed to have carried out on his garden including spraying roots with a chemical substance.

He also tried to charge him £350 for materials worth £25 and which had been left at the 85-year-old's home as part of an earlier fraud.

Varey, 23, admitted four deception charges yesterday at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday when his case was listed for trial. Sentence was adjourned for a probation report until January 12 next year and he was remanded on bail with conditions including residence at Waverley Crescent, Lemington and a £2,000 surety.

He was warned by Judge Esmond Faulks: "I am not giving you any promises about sentencing. The usual sentence for offences of this sort is custody."

Katherine Dunn, defending, said Varey, who has a previous conviction for dishonesty in 2001, had had a number of difficulties including drug and alcohol problems.

"He is extremely realistic about the sentence he will receive."