A despicable scammer cruelly tricked vulnerable elderly people out of their life savings in a roofing con - with one widower losing £126,000.
Stephen O'Kane deliberately targeted very old people, charming them into trusting him, frightening them into believing work was necessary then fleecing them for every penny he could get his hands on. In total, O'Kane took more than £175,000 from victims in Whitley Bay, Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland although he claimed a gang of travellers he was working for took most of it.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the victims of the sophisticated scam have been left traumatised by the fact they fell victim to it. The first victim was a retired lady who lives in South Shields was approached by a man from a bogus company called North East Roofing, who told her work needed doing to her roof and she paid £6,500 for it.
