Cafe Boss Targeted Dead Neighbour's £32K Savings

A struggling cafe boss looted his dead neighbour's bank account while posing as the deceased, transferring his life savings from one account to another during a £32,400 scam.

Father-of-three Ali Sidar, 34, already had the PIN for 63 year-old Mike Jenkin's current account, which he quickly emptied before going after the rest of his savings - leaving the dead man's window having to borrow cash to fund the funeral.

"I make it clear I have no doubt whatsoever that this was perpetrated against an extremely vulnerable victim," said Croydon Crown Court Judge Heather Boucher. "He couldn't say anything could he? He was dead.

"It could be said you were building up, being a good neighbour to perpetrate this fraud. The plan for you may have been some time in the making."

Sidar, of Sandfield Gardens, Thornton Heath befriended the sick Mr. Jenkin, who lived in a flat above his cafe in Stanley Park Road, Sutton.

His lawyer Mr. Peter Hunter said: "Mr. Sidar took it upon himself to feed him, wash his clothes, and care for him. Mr. Jenkin was unable to walk up and down stairs and Mr. Sidar would carry him down to the restaurant to have free food.

"It was like a father/son relationship. This was true friendship, not to get something out of it and he had genuine grief when this man passed away. He was absolutely devastated."

However, Judge Baucher replied: "This complainant was absolutely vulnerable and could not be more vulnerable and you are making it worse by saying what good friends they were.

"You are saying that you can take your best friend's money as soon as they are dead. It is a gross breach of trust."

Mr. Jenkin died on May 19 from a respiratory infection and his wife rushed from the Philippines to be at his bedside for the last nine hours of his life.

She reported his death to LloydsTSB in order to close the accounts and they told her £5,400 had been withdrawn from her late husband's current account and £25,000 transferred from his savings to the current account, which Sidar had the debit card for.

Prosecutor Miss Shazia Ahmed told the court: "Mr. Sidar told the bank manager he was Mr. Jenkin's carer and that Mr. Jenkin had told him none else would be entitled to the money on his death.

"He suggested he had full authority to use Mr. Jenkin's money in a letter he could no longer find and that Mr. Jenkin made a promise that he could use all of the money for himself, his sister and his three children."

The court heard Sidar had recently taken out a £20,000 loan to keep his cafe going and was working seven days a week in order for the business to stay afloat.

The judge told first-time offender Sidar: "You went around the shops flashing Mr. Jenkin's debit card left, right and centre in order to obtain goods.

"Where was this mysterious letter we never saw? It didn't exist, it was a figment of your imagination.

"You thought this was a good way to provide a little extra for you and your three children and your cafe was also struggling.

"Mr. Jenkin's wife had to find and borrow money for the funeral because she had none of her own and there was none in the bank accounts."

Sidar was sentenced to sixteen months imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to perform 200 hours community service work, pay £5,000 compensation to Mr. Jenkin's estate and £1,000 costs.

He pleaded guilty to stealing £5,400, plus two counts of fraud involving the dishonest £25,000 transfer and spending £2,000 on Mr. Jenkin's debit card between May 19 and june 12, last year.