Daily Mail
November 16, 2013
A gypsy who charged a blind pensioner almost £50,000 for work worth just £1,000 has been jailed.
Adam Loveridge, 41, cold-called at his victim’s home and persuaded her that her porch and guttering needed fixing.
He then billed the 64 year-old for a staggering £49,000 – which she began paying in installments.
Over a year she paid out an extortionate £40,080 to Loveridge in a series of cheques until her bank became suspicious and contacted the police.
Loveridge initially claimed he could not read the amounts on the cheques because of his illiteracy but he eventually admitted six counts of fraud.
The conman, who lives on a caravan park in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, blew all but £3,000 of the money on gambling machines.