Conning cousins sent to jail

Two cousins who preyed on frail and vulnerable elderly people, conning them out of more than £4,000 in a "repugnant" crime spree across Shropshire, have been jailed.

Arthur Watton, 32, and Paul Watton, 23, targeted victims in Wem, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Bicton Heath, Newport and Ellesmere in September last year, knocking on doors and demanding huge amounts of money for very small amounts of work.

The pair approached residents at 16 homes offering to do gardening before turning nasty and demanding large sums of money for work the prosecution said was not to a high standard.

Appearing at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday, Arthur Watton, of Pepper Street, Wem, admitted one charge of blackmail and two of fraud. He also asked for seven further frauds and five blackmails to be taken into consideration.

Paul Watton, of Manor Place, Higher Heath, near Whitchurch, admitted two charges of fraud and two of burglary. He asked for seven other frauds and blackmails to be taken into consideration.

Mr Andrew Barkley, prosecuting, said: "The charges involve the targeting of elderly people in their homes and that has had a profound effect on the complainants.

"One was forced to move from her home as a result of this. Another has contemplated suicide because of the effect it had on her."

Paul Watton was sentenced to three years in prison. Arthur Watton, who was already in prison for a similar fraud earlier this year, was sentenced to five years and four months.

Judge Robin Onions said: "It's difficult when hearing cases of this nature not to express in more forceful terms the repugnance that anyone feels at the offences.

"If I could do so I would detain Arthur indefinitely. Sooner or later he's going to have a manslaughter on his hands because one of these victims is going to drop dead as a result of his actions."

Mr Andrew Holland, for the Wattons, said: "They are appalling crimes. There's no getting around the facts and little I can say to minimise the matter."

VICTIM 1:

One of the Wattons' victims was a 90-year-old woman with lung disease, who requires oxygen.

The woman, from Wem, was in her sitting room when she saw a man through a patio window, later identified as Paul Watton.

He told her he had lost his ball in her garden and asked permission to get it back.

As it was getting dark she asked him to return the following day and invited him to go through the house to get out. He followed her to the front door, then ran away.

Later the victim found that her handbag, which had contained about £300 and her driving licence, was missing.

Judge Robin Onions, who heard the case, said: "This is probably the most serious I have ever come across in my time as a judge. It's difficult for me to find the words to express how I feel about offences of this nature."

The handbag was later recovered and fingerprints helped convict the Wattons.

VICTIM 2:

Paul Watton left a Shrewsbury pensioner considering suicide and terrified of answering her front door after targeting her in one of the attacks.

The 87-year-old only answered her door to Watton because she thought he was her grandson.

Watton then spun her a story about doing some gardening work. The victim was suspicious and did not give him any money but asked him to write his telephone number down on a piece of paper.

Eventually he left, but then the pensioner found that £75 had been taken from a jar she kept in the kitchen.

She reported it to the police who were able to lift a fingerprint from the paper and trace it to Watton.

By Pam Griffin