Jail for fraudster who claimed daughter needed a new bed

A MAN who preyed on elderly victims by pretending his daughter needed a new bed has been jailed for two years.

Liam Schneider, 42, of Scalford Drive, Peterborough, knocked on the victims’ doors pretending to be their neighbour. He told them his daughter’s bed was being delivered and his wife, who had left for work at the hospital, had not paid the delivery fee. He claimed he needed £42 to pay the driver, or the bed would be taken away and his daughter would have to sleep on the floor. 

The victims handed over the £42 in cash but when Schneider did not return to pay them back they reported the incidents to the police. 

The investigation led to Schneider’s arrest and yesterday (18 April) he was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court after pleading guilty at a previous hearing to nine counts of fraud by false representation and one count of theft, a shoplifting. 

Two of the frauds happened in Peterborough and the remaining seven in Lincolnshire. 

Schneider was sentenced to two years for each count of fraud, to run concurrently, and one month for theft, to run concurrently with all the others. 

DC Christian Trinder said: "Schneider is a prolific offender who deliberately targeted the elderly and vulnerable.  

“Safeguarding the vulnerable is a force priority and we will do everything in our power to ensure we protect them and put those who target them before the courts.”