‘Despicable’ pair preyed on elderly


TWO fraudsters have been jailed for a total of nine years after a scam in which elderly and vulnerable people were conned out of over £100,000. Oscar Yeboah and Jonathan Mintah chose their victims, who were mostly aged in their 80s and 90s. Theywere arrested during an investigation into 27 linked offences in London and Kent, including Maidstone, Bearsted andMereworth.


NHS cash keeps


drivers on road VOLUNTEER drivers who help patients keep hospital appoint- ments are to stay on the road – thanks to the local NHS. KCC cutbacks meant charities


like the Voluntary Action Maid- stone-run community car serv- ice, which had its funding withdrawn after 18 years, would have been unable to operate. However, the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has stepped in with £60,000. A spokesman for VAM, which highlighted the plight of the drivers earlier this year, said: “We are really pleased and re- lieved that the trust has listened to patients and local charities and have made this money available. The drivers provide a vital service.”


Cllr Brian Mortimer hands over a cheque for


£3,865 to Help for Heroes


Mayor’s charities benefit FOURcharitieshavebenefited to the tune of£13,500,whichwas raised during the lastMayor of Maidstone’s term of office. Cllr Brian Mortimer chose Help for Heroes, Age UK, Dandelion Time


and STARS (Syncope Trust And Reflex anoxic Seizures) as recipients of the cash raised during his civic year. Chequeswere presented to the charities in theMayor’sParlour at the


Town Hall as his year came to a close. Help for Heroes took the biggest chunk of money with £3,865, Age UK received £3,650 and Dandelion Time had a tidy share of £3,000.


Victims were first targeted by phone with the caller claiming to work for either theMetropol- itan Police or a bank. The caller would tell them they had been the subject of a bank account fraud and a police officer would be calling to visit them. Yeboah or Mintah would con-


trol personal visits, using associ- ates so they were not seen. The victims would be told to place their debit card, PIN and bank


statements into a sealed enve- lope for the caller to take away. Thousands of pounds would


then be stolen from the ac- counts. During the frauds, the pair rented a luxury flat in a Thames Riverside development and hired expensive cars. The victims lost sums of up to £13,000. One of the victims–a91-year-


oldMaidstone woman whowas tricked out of over £7,000,


spoke out to warn others. She said: “Not only have these con- men taken my money, but they have also taken my pride. “I feel extremely embarrassed


that I fell for the scam, but clearlyIamnot theonlyone who has been taken in by their lies. I thought they were trying to help me, but they were just trying to get my money.” Yeboah (27), of Ilford, was


jailed for four years and Mintah (26), of Forest Gate, London, was sentenced to five years. Both pleaded guilty at Maid- stone Crown Court to conspir- acy to commit fraud through false representation between December 2010 and March 2011. Det Con Don Share, who led


the investigation, said: “The ac- tions of these conmen are des- picable, preying in every case on the elderly and vulnerable. “They thought nothing of stealing, in some cases, an entire lifetime’s savings. It is unfortu- nate several of the victims have now passed away without see- ing that justice has been done. “I am particularly grateful to


one victim from Bearsted, who felt able to help us raise aware- ness by taking part in a pro-ac- tive campaign in March last year,warning other elderly and vulnerable people to be extra vigilant.”


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