Man lied about having sick grandson to con woman out of cash

[Guest Nicole]

A man used a fake name and lied about having a sick grandson in hospital to con a woman out of £1,000.

Ian Leak, 54, also pretended to be his own son to dishonestly obtain £350 from another woman so that he could get cash to buy a new fridge-freezer.

Leak, of Park Avenue in Louth, was handed a suspended prison sentence after magistrates said he abused the women's "kindness and generosity".

Dan Pietrykas, prosecuting, said Leak, who has multiple sclerosis, became friends through the Jehovah's Witnesses with a woman who passed two amounts of £500 to him between October and November last year.

He had told her his name was 'Tim Leak' and he had to go and see his grandson ill in hospital.

Mr Pietrykas said he also became friends with another woman and, in March 2015, she gave him £350 to buy a new fridge-freezer.

He had told her his name was Kieran Leak - the name of his real-life son.

Leak was interviewed by police in June this year where he admitted making up the names and lying about having a sick grandson.

And in court, he admitted to both charges of dishonestly obtaining money.

Elizabeth Hart, mitigating, said Leak suffered from "very serious ill health" and had multiple sclerosis.

She said his long-term relationship had ended, leaving him very isolated.

She said he started leading a fantasy life, making phone calls to people who had befriended him.

Ms Hart said he did suffer from genuine financial hardship and had he explained his true situation to the people concerned, they would probably have given him the money anyway.

She said he had no previous convictions and his appearance in court was a "significant punishment" for him.

The magistrates told Leak he had abused the women concerned by duping them into parting with their money and that other "more deserving parties were unable to receive that money."

They told him it warranted a custodial sentence of two months imprisonment but decided to suspend it for 12 months.

He was also ordered to pay compensation of £1,350.

http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/man-lied-about-having-sick-grandson-to-con-woman-out-of-cash/story-29913159-detail/story.html