A fraudster conned an elderly neighbour out of £40,000 and pretended to be quadriplegic for two years in order to evade justice before he was finally caught by police going on shopping trips and on holidays with his family.
Alan Knight had mounted the deception after engaging in an elaborate fraud in which he targeted an elderly neighbour's life savings over a three year period.
The 47-year-old, who had been living off benefits at his home in south Wales in UK, also sought to avoid trial by admitting himself to hospital several times and even went to the length of being hooked up to an oxygen tank.
The police officer investigating the case described it as the most calculated, long-term deception of a vulnerable, elderly neighbour that he had ever seen.
“He had constantly avoided court for two years, costing police, the NHS and the court system thousands of pounds,” said DC Harry Paul.
During the scam, the father of three from Maes y Gollen, Sketty, Swansea, was said to have systematically funnelled £41,570 out of the bank account of Ivor Richards, which Knight used to pay for holidays and to buy a caravan in Dorset.
“Unfortunately Mr Richards had no family and Knight took it upon himself to start caring for him,” said Detective Constable Harry Paul, who added that Knight then drained the pensioner's accounts.
Knight's wife, Helen, claimed that she had to care for him after he snapped his neck falling backwards as he pulled down a garage door. The court also heard that he claimed that the injury had caused him to have seizures which left him comatose.
But he was captured on CCTV at the Severn bridge toll on the M4 as he travelled back from the south coast and was also filmed in Tesco stores across Britain after police traced the use of the family's loyalty card.
Investigators had tried to bring him court at least twice but each time he admitted himself to hospital, claiming his condition had worsened.
Knight was informed that he would stand trial with or without him being present and finally appeared in court in a wheelchair and wearing a neck brace.
The judge, Paul Thomas, said aspects of the case were unique in his experience and a strong message needed to be sent out to anyone adopting similar tactics.