A man who defrauded an elderly person out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has been sentenced to six and half years in prison.
Terrance McGinley, 44, of Toms Lane, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire had initially denied two counts of fraud by false representation but changed his plea prior to the commencement of a trial at Carlisle Crown Court.
The court heard how police were alerted under the banking protocol of the victim to concerns regarding transactions being carried out by an elderly customer.
When police first approached the victim, it was clear that he was very vulnerable and he could not properly explain what the transactions were for, leading to strong suspicions he was being taken advantage of.
It was explained to the court that the victim was in his late 70’s, and lived alone, and had no family. The court heard how the victim had been visited & befriended by McGinley in early 2019. McGinley was said to have asked the elderly man for money to help with a court case – begging on his knees at one stage – before receiving an initial £5,000.
He would go on to receive £58,000 from the elderly man, after being told that McGinley needed the money as part of efforts to sell a house in Ireland and that he would pay the money back once the house was sold.
Specialist financial investigations uncovered that the money was not spent on a house in Ireland at all and the money was spent on funding a luxury lifestyle for McGinley which included designer clothes, holidays and expensive meals – including more than £1,000 spent at the Ivy Restaurant in Kensington, London.
A total of £432,000 was paid to McGinley by the victim, over 11 cheques beginning in March 2019.
The second charge related to McGinley taking payment – amounting to £1,230 - to carry out paving work at a property in Workington. This work was never completed – or even started.
McGinley was sentenced today (9 September).
Specialist fraud investigator DC Robin Arrowsmith, of Cumbria Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “These were callous offences committed by a man who identified a vulnerable, elderly person, sold him a lie and then defrauded him out of his life’s savings over a number of years.
“The defendant has caused the victim untold suffering and mental anguish as, at times, he waited by the phone for days on end, hoping a man who presented himself as a friend would contact him to arrange sending back the money he was owed.
“Instead, the defendant was living a lavish lifestyle with the money the victim had worked all his life to accumulate.
“Cumbria Police would urge anyone who is approached by a stranger asking for money to contact the police.
“We would also encourage family members to closely monitor transactions being made by elderly people, whilst also encouraging neighbours and the wider community to look out for any signs that someone is being taken advantage of.”