A heartless conman who targeted an 83 year-old woman, who paid £26,920 in ‘fees’ to release a bogus £200,000 lottery win, was jailed for sixteen months on Thursday.
Nigerian father-of-three Sergius Ene, 43, (pictured) of Rushton Gardens, Ilford received the bulk of the money swindled from the Northampton pensioner, who has not seen a penny since.
He pleaded guilty to unlawfully retaining a £19,500 bank credit and was told by Croydon Crown Court (pictured) Judge Nicholas Ainley: “It is always a mean trick to play on people and having got the money you decided to spend it so she will not get it back.”
Prosecutor Mr. Julius Capon told the court the victim received a fake ‘Euromillions’ letter announcing the prize in June 2009 and she was tricked into sending a £420 cheque to secure the funds.
She sent another £7,000 cheque to purportedly authorise the win then a £19,500 money transfer to an account called Delta Venture International, which was under Ene’s control.
A further £45,000 was demanded and the pensioner was in the process of arranging a bank transfer when staff at her Nationwide branch halted the transaction and alerted the police.
Ene was eventually tracked down and arrested in June 2010 and charged in February, last year.
His lawyer Dora O’Malley told the court her client was not involved in the scam and thought the payment was a mortgage he applied for, but admits he should have investigated it further.
Ene’s home is now subject to repossession.
The judge rejected the defendant’s attempts to distance himself from the swindle announcing: “He simply must be part of the scam that takes money from this woman.
“I am not going to abandon common sense.
“An elderly lady has been persuaded to part with a large amount of money after being conned into believing she has won the lottery.”
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