A COPYTHORNE man duped a friend into handing over more than £25,000 after convincing him he should buy ten antique cars, including a Bentley and a Mercedes, from a woman.
But it was a con. The cars did not exist, Southampton Crown Court heard.
Mark Halford, 51, of Pound Lane, admitted fraud for which he received an 18-month jail sentence suspended for 12 months and a 120-hour unpaid work order.
Prosecutor Eleanor Fargin said Halford had already repaid Wayne Holbrook nearly £5,000 and when he appeared for sentence, he returned another £1,200.
In mitigation, Richard Martin said Halford had gone off the rails following the loss of his home and the collapse of his marriage.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article