A MAN who preyed on vulnerable, elderly people was branded greedy and wicked by a crown court judge and jailed for eight years.
James Doran, 28, admitted blackmailing a man in his 70s over a sexual act.
He denied robbing a man in his 80s and stealing more than £1,000 from him after doing shoddy work at his home but was convicted by a jury.
Judge Dafydd Hughes, sitting at Mold Crown Court in Chester, jailed him for six years for the robbery and theft, and a consecutive two years for the blackmail.
He said Doran was a predator, willing to earn money to feed his greed by committing mean, wicked and despicable offences against the elderly.
”Elderly people need to be protected from a predator like you,” he said.
The victim of the theft and robbery was Graham Edwards who died of natural causes last September.
The judge said Mr Edwards was clearly physically frail and it was sad to think in the last few months of his life he had the misfortunate to become involved “with a
greedy and wicked individual like yourself”.
Doran offered to carry out work for him at his bungalow home at The Brambles in Shotton, which he agreed was to an appalling standard.
“You had the nerve not only to charge him £200 for that work but you carried on demanding further money from him.”
The judge said there was another person involved and that if Doran had an ounce of decency in him then he would have named him to the authorities.
It would not be known how much he had taken but it was a significant amount, at least £1,000. But it did not end there.
On one occasion, when the victim refused to pay Doran pinned him down on his bed, went through his pockets and removed £200.
Doran’s continued behaviour towards him, demanding cash, had been very frightening until the victim had the courage to tell his brother what was going on.
In August last year Doran befriended another elderly man in his 70s and engineered a situation where he could be exploited.
Doran, a stranger, got talking to the OAP, realised he was homosexual, and they indulged in sexual acts. But he then demanded money, made threats and the victim was so frightened he withdrew £2,500 of his savings and handed them over, said Nicholas Williams, prosecuting.
Arrangements had been made to take his entire £8,000 savings but fortunately a cashier at a building society became suspicious and the victim confessed what was going on, and the police were alerted.
The judge told Doran: “This sort of behaviour is not new to you.”
He had previously robbed an elderly lady in her own home..