A HAMPSHIRE MP turned detective to catch a "rogue" builder who allegedly conned his vulnerable father out of thousands of pounds, a court heard.

Julian Lewis, MP for New Forest East, grew suspicious after he was told large sums of money were being withdrawn from the bank account of his elderly father, who suffers from dementia.

Mr Lewis recorded a late-night phone call during which builder Paul Grey denied fleecing his father, Samuel Lewis.

However, Mr Lewis claimed Grey told him he had made money out of the elderly - including the shadow defence minister's now deceased aunt and a Normandy veteran.

Recalling one of the phone calls made in April 2004, Dr Lewis said: "During this long conversation, although continuing to deny defrauding my father, Mr Grey admitted to being a habitual crook and boasted of regularly swindling large sums of money out of elderly victims by pretending to carry out building work but not doing it."

Mr Lewis is appearing at Cardiff County Court on behalf of his father, who is in his 90s, in a bid to recover £7,500 he claims was paid to Grey, 57, between December 2002 and January 2003.

Grey, of Brynhyfryd, Swansea, who admitted having "cashflow problems" at the time, denies the allegations.

Proceeding