Five months for bogus caller who took cash from pensioners: A bogus window cleaner who “preyed on” a vulnerable, elderly couple has been jailed for what a district judge described as a “despicable” offence. Luke Brewster, 27, of Leeds Road, Shipley, was yesterday found guilty of fraud by making a false representation after he turned up at the Thackley home of Eric and Alma Ross, asking for money. Prosecutor Mark Haigh said Brewster was “notorious” for posing as a window cleaner, with eight previous convictions dating back to 2010 for similar offences in the Idle and Shipley areas. Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court was told 87-year-old Mr Ross answered the door to a man on the evening of August 6 last year, who said he was there to collect window cleaning money.
Giving evidence Mr Ross said he had not recognised the man and thought he was up to date with his window cleaning payments. He gave the man £20, who then he said he would return with the change but the couple did not see him again. Mr Ross said: “To be honest, I went back and realised I’d been conned. The whole set-up made me realise I should have thought about it more than I did.” Mrs Ross identified Brewster as having been the man who came to the door after she was shown photographs by police. She told the court she had felt “fairly sure” Brewster was the culprit.
Finding him guilty of the offence and sentencing him to five months in prison District Judge Joanne Hirst said: “This is a despicable offence, you preyed on a vulnerable and elderly couple.” She said he had not learned his lesson by previous sentences and custody was inevitable. In his defence Brewster told the court he had not been involved in the crime. He said he had been threatened by a group of window cleaners and there had been rumours about him in the area. “This time I have not done it,” he said.
Speaking after the hearing Mrs Ross said: “You feel vulnerable. We both feel sorry for the guy. We think what’s brought him to that? “We are both Christians and we usually give people the benefit of the doubt. “We were brought up in a different era, when you could trust people. “People should be more careful these days, Don’t let anyone cross your threshold if you don’t know them, you can’t be too careful.”
Drinkers hit by 10p rise in price of pint: Sheffield landlords today branded a price hike of up to 10p on a pint of beer as another ‘blow’ for struggling pubs. Brewers have announced increases in the cost of popular beers, such as Carlsberg. Roger Davies, landlord of The Rosegarth freehouse pub in Aston, has put up prices by 10p. A pint of Guinness now costs £3 and Carling £2.80. He said: “It is another blow for pubs. People have been put off coming for a drink with a while now with the supermarkets being so cheap.” Carslberg UK blamed its 7p increase on rising costs of raw materials, energy and fuel. Window cleaner Martin Hill, 45, of Ecclesfield, said: “I don’t drink that much, probably ten pints a week, so it’s only going up by £1. It will put other people off, though.”
A window cleaner was arrested after checks found he was not inside his home when he was supposed to be. Joseph O’Donohue, 44, of Canberra Way, Warton, near Kirkham, admitted breaching bail. Blackpool magistrates agreed to rebail him. Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said O’Donohue had been bailed on the condition he kept an electronically tagged curfew inside his home between 8pm and 6am. On January 11 the electronic system monitoring the curfew registered that O’Donohue was not inside his home at 8.06pm. When arrested O’Donohue said he had only been half-an-hour later for his curfew.
London searches as part of £450,000 Lisburn drugs probe: Searches have taken place in London as part of a widening investigation into a £450,000 drugs find in County Antrim, the High Court has heard. Addresses in the north of the city were targeted on Wednesday. Detectives are probing a suspected crime gang allegedly importing and supplying drugs in Northern Ireland. Details were disclosed as bail was refused to one of four people charged over a cocaine and cannabis seizure in Lisburn two days before Christmas.
Mark McAleese, 35, of Johnston Way in the city, faces charges of possessing and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, and concealing criminal property. He is alleged to have been at the home of two co-accused when police uncovered the haul. A cocaine press and two suspected Taser stun-guns were also found at that property. Follow-up searches at Mr McAleese's home led to the discovery of more than 28,000 euros and £11,000 sterling, the court was told. Phone records were alleged to show contact with Pakistan, Holland and the Republic of Ireland.
Kate McKay, prosecuting, said receipts were found for purchases of expensive furniture and pointed out that Mr McAleese was an unemployed window cleaner. "Police believe this is an organised drugs crime gang responsible for the supply of significant amounts of cocaine and cannabis into Northern Ireland," she said. Mrs McKay described the ongoing investigation as "a spider's web" which has now spread beyond Northern Ireland.
A PSNI detective was said to have joined Metropolitan Police in carrying out a number of searches in north London on Wednesday which led to the arrest of two Chinese nationals and the seizure of £120,000 in cash. Mr McAleese claims, however, that the money found at his home came from business ventures linked to the sale of Ugg boots and Viagra tablets. His barrister said he had admitted making a lot of money through importing the pills over the last three years. It was also stressed that Mr McAleese was just visiting the house where the drugs and equipment were recovered. "He has maintained his innocence," the defence lawyer added. But Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan refused his application for bail due to the risk of disruption to continuing police inquiries.
