A Derry man who painted the home of an elderly woman with dementia, before getting her to pay for the job several times over, was yesterday jailed for a year.
Dermot McClintock of Galliagh Park, who admitted nine charges of obtaining by deception nine signed cheques from the woman and who also admitted nine charges of theft from his victim, was described by Judge Corine Philpott as someone who had preyed on a vulnerable member of the community.
The city's Crown Court was told that McClintock had persuaded the woman that he was a qualified painter and decorator and then carried out work on her home in the Knockwellan Park area of Derry's Waterside.
He charged her a total of £3,100 sterling for the work, which was later valued by a qualified painter and decorator at just £450.
"You have committed a series of very mean offences," Judge Philpott told McClintock.
"You went to this old lady's house, persuaded her to trust you and you did work for her, the great majority of which was of poor quality.
"It is an unacceptable type of offence that must not be encouraged because people like you cannot be allowed to prey on the weakest members of society such as this elderly lady who has dementia.
"You managed to pretend to this lady that you were able to do the work in order to defraud her of her money. You stole from her.
"This court has already given you ample time to make appropriate restitution to this lady and you have not done that but I give you credit that you have pleaded guilty and that you come before this court with a clear record.
"I sentence you to 12 months' imprisonment, concurrent on each of the 18 charges you have admitted", she said.
Speaking after McClintock's sentencing, Det Const Chris Burry, who led the PSNI investigation into the case, said the victim's family members were relieved McClintock was now in jail.
"Basically he was continually presenting her with bills for work he said he'd done on her house. But this lady, because of her illness, didn't realise that she had already paid him and she kept signing cheques and giving them to McClintock," said Det Const Burry.