Sick fraudster conned girlfriend's mum out of £20k - and she won't be alive to see justice

John Kavanagh, 58, began a narration with a pistillate helium met online earlier swindling her 84-year-old mum retired of £22,000 - by inventing stories helium needed currency for a fictional business

A pistillate successful her eighties had her £20,000 beingness savings stripped aft she agreed to assistance her daughter's fellow who was really a cruel conman.

John Kavanagh concocted a bid of lies to some women which included him pretending to ain a transport institution which desperately needed cash. Newcastle Crown Court heard the fraudster told the daughter, who helium met connected dating website, that helium needed wealth for a scope of reasons including caller tyres, wages, and insurance.

Both women person some since died. Judge Gavin Doig sentenced the 58-year-old, who has implicit 100 offences connected his record, to 4 years successful prison. Prosecutor Jane Foley told the tribunal Kavanagh kept up the façade for months and aft his apprehension helium told officers helium saw his aged unfortunate arsenic a "stepmother" who helium "loved to bits."

The justice told him: "It's hard to deliberation of a much shameful offence for a idiosyncratic to perpetrate than to portion an 84-year-old pistillate of her beingness savings, to transportation connected taking her wealth implicit a play of galore months until she had nary much to give. I'm lone atrocious (the victim) and her girl aren't present to spot you person the punishment you deserve. This offence arises retired of a narration you had with a woman. This began successful precocious 2019.

"You started to archer her you had fiscal problems. You made up stories astir a institution you owned and that institution was successful fiscal difficulty. You asked her for help. She agreed to lend you money, however, that wasn't enough."

The pistillate past enlisted the assistance of her parent who agreed to assistance Kavanagh and ligament him cash. Judge Doig continued: "(The complainant) offered to assistance you and lend you, implicit time, good implicit £20,000. By June 2020 she was near with £250 successful her account. That had £26,000 successful it erstwhile you began.

"Over that play you provided a raft of excuses for money, sometimes saying you needed caller tyres, oregon connected wages oregon for insurance. These were each lies designed to deceive (the victim) and defraud her of her beingness savings."

The tribunal heard that the narration betwixt Kavanagh and the victim's girl ended successful the summertime of 2020 but helium continued with his deceit. Ms Foley said helium told constabulary helium borrowed nary much than 10 to £12,000 which helium intended to wage back. Ms Foley added: "He went connected to accidental during his constabulary interrogation that (the victim) was similar a measurement parent to him and that helium loved her to bits.

Kavanagh besides tried to acceptable up a institution called Kavanagh KC Transport Ltd which was wholly fake. The tribunal heard helium was recovered to person contacted aggregate different women online, successful which helium told them akin made up stories. In a pre-written interaction connection made to the court, the aged unfortunate said: "This incidental has near maine successful shock. I cannot judge I person been deceived successful this way. I lent the wealth to John successful bully faith. I'm 84 and precise vulnerable. Nobody has the close to marque maine consciousness this way."

In her daughter's pre-written statement, she said: "This incidental has near maine physically sick. I cannot explicate however it made maine consciousness inside. I'm disquieted what affects this volition person connected her health." Kavanagh, of Abbingdon Square, Cramlington, Northumberland, denied wrongdoing but yet pleaded blameworthy to fraud.

Laura Miller, defending, said: "The suspect is precise atrocious to the unfortunate and to their household and helium does not inquire maine and basal present and springiness immoderate excuses for his actions. He wishes helium could crook the timepiece backmost but knows helium can't. He wishes helium could repay the wealth backmost but does not person the means to bash so."