Heartless conmen’s £250,000 fraud on pensioner

The fraudsters targeted householders in North and East Yorkshire and persuaded them to pay for “shoddy, over-priced and unnecessary property repairs”.

One member of the gang, Monty David Croke, 46, befriended an elderly man from Malton and exploited his poor health to trick him into paying £170,000 for the development of a holiday cottage.

The victim, who believed Croke to be his friend, expected to make the money back when the property was sold, but instead the conman used it to live in himself.

At the same time Croke’s sons Monty Croke Jr, 26, and Billy Croke, 23, and fellow gang member James Coverdale, 35, defrauded him for tens of thousands more by carrying out home repairs.

The victim, who was defrauded over the course of eight years, said: “I was completely taken in. Monty David Croke befriended me and he then betrayed my friendship. It was all one big lie.”

The Yorkshire Post revealed last year that a nationwide network of rogue traders is preying on dementia sufferers amid warnings the problem will grow as mental illness among the elderly soars.

Last month the ring-leader of a nationwide scam which tricked vulnerable elderly people into paying for shoddy or non-existent caravan repair work was jailed after being reported by a North Yorkshire pensioner.

And police in Wakefield yesterday launched a probe into claims that an elderly man from Thornes has been conned out of more than £13,000. The 85-year-old is believed to have withdrawn the money in a series of payments for work which is not believed to have been carried out.

The North Yorkshire case was said to be the “worst example of repeat victimisation ever encountered” by the county’s trading standards”.

Chris Metcalfe, Executive Member for North Yorkshire Trading Standards said: “We are sadly getting used to investigating cases of this nature in trading standards.

“But this case has been shocking and distressing, even to those of us who are hardened to this type of appalling and heartless crime.”

“That offenders such as these can undertake the ruthless exploitation of vulnerable adults in this way, often for prolonged periods, is disgusting and abhorrent.”

Victims targeted by the North Yorkshire gang included a male in his 70s from York with mental health difficulties, who was defrauded of £12,200, and a woman in her 80s with dementia from Bridlington who was tricked out of £18,532. A further 12 victims were defrauded of a total of £30,772.

Croke, of Pickering, Monty Croke Jr and Billy Croke, both of Knaresborough, and Coverdale, of Pickering, all admitted conspiring to defraud householders.

Monty David Croke was jailed for five years, Monty Croke Jnr for two-and-a-half years, Billy Croke for 12 months and James Paul Coverdale for 15 months, suspended for two years.

Sentencing the men at Teeside Crown Court yesterday, Judge Tony Briggs said: “The elderly and vulnerable are a growing part of our community, and frequently have valuable assets which are attractive to the ruthless and greedy”.

The judge said that Monty David Croke had effectively stripped the Malton victim of his available assets and had “played him in a cunning and devious way”.

He added: “No-one can fail to have noticed the very great care the local trading standards department have devoted to this, on the face of it, very difficult case. I think there ought to be a public acknowledgement of the job they have done.

“The other rather refreshing feature of it is it’s good to know that out in the community there are a numbers of people who keep their eyes open.”