A FRAUDSTER who conned his elderly victims out of thousands of pounds has been jailed for more than two years.

Frank Webb, of no fixed address, was yesterday sentenced to two years and four months in prison and ordered to pay £800 in compensation at Swindon Crown Court after pleading guilty to numerous charges of fraud and aggressive commercial practice.

The 57-year-old repeatedly cold-called his victims, turning up on the doorsteps of 83-year-old Alec Davis, 72-year- old Leif Edwards, 75-year-old Pauline Pitham and 74-year-old Kenneth Wilkinson to sell them his patio and driveway cleaning services, often referring to a family pet or the original construction of the surface as part of his sales patter.

Duncan Milne, prosecuting, said: “Last January Mr Webb cold-called Mr Davis and asked him if he wanted to have his patio cleaned.

“He said the work would take three or four hours and would cost Mr Davis £695.

“On February 18, 2014 he went back to Mr Davis and asked if he wanted a different patio cleaned, and told him it would cost £496, which Mr Davis paid.

“On February 20, 2014 two young men were at Mr Davis’s address. They were in the rear garden spraying a wall with some sort of bleach.

“They wanted £220 from him for the work.

“Mr Davis’s family were visiting that day and they were told by the young men that they were there at the request of Mr Webb, and they were given £80 by them.

“In total over the six-week period Mr Webb extracted £2,040 from Mr Davis.

“Mrs Pitham said that as a result of her involvement with Mr Webb she feels vulnerable and naive.”

Mr Milne also said doctors were unable to rule out Webb’s behaviour as a cause of a stroke from which Mr Edwards later died.

Andrew Webb, defending, urged the judge to take into account the guilty plea and his personal circumstances.

He said: “Mr Webb says he fully expects a custodial sentence. He was sorry at the outset when he had had time to reflect on his offences “He comes from a long line of people who have carried out similar tactics. His great-grandfather, his grandfather and his father also did business in this way and he used to go out with his father.”

Webb was handed two eight-month terms, two terms of 12 months, two of two years and one of two years, four months for the most serious offence, to run concurrently.

Judge Peter Blair QC said: “It is clear from the evidence you have persistently used what amounts to bullying behaviour and aggressive sales tactics.

“The sentence I am going to impose is in total two years and four months. You will serve half of that and after that you will be on licence.

“The eight-month sentence I gave you at the end of January was for breaching the court order and for breaching that I gave you an eight-month sentence.”

Webb was told to pay £150 in compensation to the family of Mr Edwards, £50 to Mrs Pitham, £550 to Mr Davis and £50 to Mr Wilkinson.