East Preston man jailed for theft and fraud

A “COMPULSIVE LIAR” left an elderly Littlehampton woman thousands of pounds in debt after he phoned premium rate sex-lines from her home and fraudulently signed cheques in her name.

John Redington, of Westfield Avenue, East Preston, secretly made the phone calls between March, 2008, and October, 2010, from the home of 86-year-old widow Lorna Patmore, who is deaf and suffers from Parkinson’s, Worthing Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday.

Redington, 42, also fraudulently signed more than 50 cheques in her name, worth £3,462 in total. He was sentenced to eight months in prison after admitting four charges.

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Prosecuting, Kirsten Sharp said Redington, who was married to Yvonne, the sister of Mrs Patmore’s daughter-in-law Glenys, had made “considerable efforts to cover up his crimes” by forging cheques that were small enough to go unnoticed.

A self-employed builder, Redington was highly trusted by Mrs Patmore’s son Trevor and daughter-in-law Glenys, who live in Canada, and had performed odd jobs for the 88-year-old.

Redington, who had his own key to Mrs Patmore’s home, made the calls while she was in a separate room and forged the cheques when she was taken on trips to a day care centre, the court heard.

He was caught out when Glenys returned from Canada and checked the phone bill of Mrs Patmore, who had complained of receiving too many sales calls.

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It was then that Glenys discovered the calls which had been made to premium-rate sex-line numbers.

The news of this, the court heard, devastated Redington’s wife Yvonne, who had confronted him before about his use of sex-lines in their own home in Rustington.

She had forced him to leave the family home and had paid Mrs Patmore £8,000 because of the “embarrassment and shame” she felt her husband had caused.

Miss Sharp said: “Mrs Redington felt so devastated by what her husband had done, she paid Mrs Patmore a large sum. She felt devastated that her husband of 14 years committed such an act after Mrs Patmore had welcomed them into her home.”

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A statement, read on behalf of Glenys, described Redington as a “compulsive liar”.

She said: “He’s never apologised to my mother-in-law or attempted to repay her.

“He does work for other old people and we are concerned about what he will be doing to others who are old and helpless.”

Peter Long, for Redington, said his client was seeking help for his problems and was “embarrassed” and “ashamed” by what he had done.

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Redington, now living at his parents’ address, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud and three charges of theft and was sentenced by district judge Stephen Nichols to eight months’ imprisonment, of which he will serve half.

He was also ordered to pay £5,640 in compensation to Mrs Patmore.

Glenys, who attended the hearing with her sister, shouted abuse at Redington as he was taken into custody by court staff.

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