Wednesday 4 July 2018

Jail Warning For Bogus-Funeral Fraudster

A liar told his new boyfriend he needed cash to bury his recently-deceased daughter and tried to extract more money with a false rape-claim.

Jobless Steven Dudley, 47, was warned yesterday to expect to be locked-up for the crimes when he returns to court for sentencing.

He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation, namely that between September 5 and October 11, 2016 he dishonestly, with intent to gain £1,350, represented he needed to pay for his daughter’s funeral.

Dudley, of Park Parade, Harlesden, north-west London also pleaded guilty to blackmail, namely making an unwarranted demand with menaces for £3,000 on October 5, 2016.

The prosecutor told Inner London Crown Court: “Mr. Dudley, who met the complainant on a website entered into a relationship to get money out of him.

‘He lied that his daughter had died and threatened to report to the police that the complainant had raped him to get three thousand pounds.”

The court heard Dudley has been diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and acts impulsively without regard for the consequences.

Judge Michael Wood QC agreed to bail Dudley until July 18 for a pre-sentence report, announcing: “He is entitled to substantial credit for pleading guilty, but it is very serious and a community sentence is not appropriate.

“He is a person with a number of offences for fraud in the past and this is a serious one with the element of blackmail.

“I cannot see that a non-custodial sentence is appropriate here.”

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