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Man sentenced following fraud offences
Posted on 28/07/2009
Man sentenced following fraud offences
Michael James Skivington
A man has today been sentenced to five years imprisonment after several offences of fraud.
Michael James Skivington (42) of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to 19 offences of fraud, two offences of theft, two offences of kidnap and one offence of perverting the course of justice at Leicester Crown Court.
His girlfriend, Cheryl Marie James (43) of Beaumont Leys Lane, Leicester pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
The offences occurred between May 2008 and January 2009, when Skivington tricked his victims into paying him cash for work such as cleaning guttering and windows, which he never carried out. He also claimed to supply cigarettes in return for cash.
From these victims, Skivington managed to steal over £2,500. He also used bank cards belonging to the victims in fraudulent transactions to buy items.
The majority of the 21 victims, whose ages ranged between 41 and 98-year-old, were elderly or vulnerable.
He befriended one man, who is severely disabled and uses a wheelchair, and took him to the bank on more than one occasion forcing him to withdraw money from his account.
Detective Inspector Simon Preston, from the City Area CID, said: “Skivington did not think twice about stealing money from and taking advantage of people who are not well placed to protect themselves.
“His actions were despicable in that he managed to persuade elderly and vulnerable people into trusting him that he was carrying out genuine work which was complete lies.
“Unfortunately there are criminals out there who will cleverly target people who can very trusting and easily persuaded.
"It is hoped that by highlighting these incidents it will help remind family and friends in encourage relatives to remain vigilant about bogus callers to prevent them from becoming victims in similar circumstances. It is important that people are always cautious when opening the door to strangers, in particular those asking for money.
“We hope that today’s sentence will provide some consolation to the victims and their families affected by these crimes and shows others criminals thinking of committing similar crimes that they will be punished.”