Love cheat 'swindled pensioner out of £15,000 by promising to wed her'

A VULNERABLE 71-year-old widow was swindled out of an estimated £15,000 by a 27-year-old man who claimed he was saving up for their wedding, a court heard today.

Andrew Harding is alleged to have taken regular amounts of cash from pensioner Brenda Nicholls over more than three years, but when he was quizzed about their relationship he is said to have told detectives that he never had any intention of marrying her.

Prosecutor Chris Smith told a jury at Bradford Crown Court that Harding, of Lightcliffe, Halifax, had asked Mrs Nicholls, who has a mild learning disability, to marry him, but the year for the ceremony kept getting put back.

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The court heard that Mrs Nicholls, who lived in sheltered accommodation, was under the care of Calderdale Social Services and it was support worker Richard Walker who contacted the police in August last year because of concerns about her relationship with Harding.

Mr Smith said the complainant was not good at dealing with money so social services provided her with a weekly allowance for her day-to-day expenses.

He alleged that Mr Walker had noticed a deterioration in Mrs Nicholls' outward appearance.

"Her clothes gradually became dirty and when he visited her accommodation he noticed that her cupboards were bare," said Mr Smith.

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The court heard that Mr Walker made unsuccessful attempts to meet up with Harding before alerting the police.

"Because Brenda Nicholls appeared to be struggling financially a decision was taken by social services to increase her weekly allowance to, as you will hear, 100 and to pay it in two installments on Monday and Friday of each week," Mr Smith told the jury.

"But she also took to requesting additional lumps sums. Richard Walker has suspicions that that money also was being handed over to this defendant."

When Mrs Nicholls was spoken to by the police the widow, whose husband died in 2003, said she had been meeting in secret with Harding every day.

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During a video recorded interview she said she travelled by bus to Siddal in Halifax to see him and said he had been to her home three times.

She said she gave Harding 50 every Monday and Friday with half of the money going towards his bed and board.

Mrs Nicholls said Harding told her the rest of the money was being saved up in the bank for their wedding.

"She said she now realised that she had been taken for a ride and she wanted her money back," added Mr Smith.

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In her interview Mrs Nicholls said she had had a good relationship with Harding and the age gap had not affected it, but she said she now wanted him to pay back all the money he had taken from her.

The court heard that Harding, of Poplar View, Lightcliffe, also suffers from learning difficulties.

When he was questioned by police he said Mrs Nicholls only gave him 20 to 30 a week and the money was used to top-up his phone.

He allegedly told police that he only said he was going to marry her because he felt sorry for her.

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"The prosecution say here when you look at the evidence given by Brenda Nicholls and put it alongside, importantly, the observations that were being made by Richard Walker at the time and the other evidence that you hear you will be left in no doubt that this defendant was taking that vulnerable lady for a ride," Mr Smith told the jury.

He conceded that the precise amount of money obtained was not known but he told the jury that the figure of 15000 was the prosecution's best guess.

Harding has denied obtaining the money by deception and a further charge relating to transferring of criminal property.

The trial continues.

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