68-y-o man sentenced after conning women out of money

A senior citizen was yesterday sentenced to nine months' imprisonment in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court for posing as a policeman and defrauding two women.

Charged with two counts of obtaining money by false pretence is a frail looking 68-year-old Winston Williams.

He pleaded guilty to both counts and offered the court an explanation.

The court was told that Williams took $4,000 from one of the complainant to purchase rum, and $1,000 from the other to purchase gas knowing that he could not do so.

One of the complainants told the court that Williams told her he was Corporal Jones and that he worked alongside a gas operator and could get the gas at a price.

While the other said, "Your Honour, my dad is a retired policeman and he died recently at age 97 and this man (Winston Williams) turned up at my house and said he is a police inspector and that he was a good friend of my father. He saw rum at the house and said he could get more so I gave him the money."

The court heard that Williams went missing and was spotted sometime after and when the complainant approached him, he ran away and jumped a fence and escaped.

According to the complainant, Williams is known for this practice.

She said, "Your Honour, he goes through the classifieds and search for the dead then look for vulnerable people and tell them he is a policeman and that he can do this and that."

Senior resident magistrate Judith Pusey said, "... You shouldn't be going to prison at this point in time."

Williams was then sentenced to nine months' imprisonment on each count which will run concurrently.