Three men from the Ward family have been sentenced to a combined 12 years in prison after conning a vulnerable pensioner out of nearly £40,000. The scam involved fake gardening services, persistent harassment, and a fraudulent Rolex watch scheme aimed at stealing the elderly woman’s life savings.
The ordeal began in October 2017 when 56-year-old John Ward, from Poole, Dorset, visited the victim’s home offering gardening services. However, the work was never completed and this was the initial step in a calculated con.
Shortly after, 22-year-old Francis Ward, from Essex, appeared at the pensioner’s home demanding payment for the fake gardening work. When she refused, the harassment intensified.
Later, 32-year-old Noel Ward from Wiltshire became involved, repeatedly calling the pensioner and demanding up to £22,000. Detective Inspector Andy Symes said, “Noel Ward continually bombarded this elderly lady with phone calls, trying to wear her down into handing over cash to feed the Ward family’s greed.”
Noel fabricated a story claiming his son was dying of leukaemia and that purchasing expensive Rolex watches would help. The victim ended up buying £38,000 worth of watches before being told she needed to spend an additional £71,000 on more watches — a payment she thankfully never made due to the vigilance of bank staff.
Barclays bank employees alerted police when the pensioner attempted to transfer £71,000 from her savings account to her current account. Their timely intervention helped expose the scam. Further investigation revealed the trio had attempted a similar fraud targeting an 85-year-old man in Southsea, who fortunately declined their offers.
At Southampton Crown Court, John and Noel Ward admitted conspiracy to defraud and converting criminal property on the first day of their trial. Francis Ward was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud. On Monday 4 March, John and Noel were each sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to repay £37,800 to their victim. Sentencing for Francis Ward has been postponed.
Detective Inspector Symes added, “This was a complex, lengthy case involving appalling cruelty towards an elderly victim. Thanks to the dedication of our officers, the Ward family will face justice.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
