‘Cynical’ Covid fraudster is jailed for more than three years for ‘injecting’ 92-year-old woman living alone with fake vaccine after posing as NHS employee to con her out of £140
- Kathleen Martin, now 93, allowed David Chambers, 33, into her home in Surbiton
- GP had recently contacted her and she thought Chambers was sent to give jab
- He pretended to give her vaccine, pressing ‘dart-like implement’ against wrist
- Chambers charged her £140, then returned days later to demand another £100
- Victim hopes ‘harrowing’ scam ‘doesn’t deter people from getting vaccinated’
A ‘cynical’ conman who posed as an NHS employee to trick a 92-year-old woman into paying for a fake Covid-19 vaccine has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Kathleen Martin, now 93, allowed David Chambers, 33, into her home in Surbiton, South West London, as the jab was first being rolled out to vulnerable people.
She had recently been contacted by her GP surgery and believed Chambers, who was wearing a fake lanyard, had been sent to administer the vaccine.
He asked her to roll up her sleeve and pretended to give her the jab, pressing something she described as ‘dart-like implement’ against the back of her wrist.
Chambers, who did not inject anything or break his victim’s skin when he visited on the afternoon on December 30 last year, charged her £140, then returned days later on January 4 to demand another £100, which she refused to pay.
Ms Martin, who lived alone, has since described the scam as ‘harrowing’ but said she hopes it ‘doesn’t deter people from getting vaccinated’.
David Chambers, of Surbiton, South West London, was jailed at Kingston Crown Court today
Chambers, 33, is brought into custody at Bishopsgate police station in London in January
Chambers was jailed at Kingston Crown Court today after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and battery at a previous hearing.
Judge Hannah Kinch branded his actions ‘despicable’ and said: ‘I have no doubt your actions caused significant anxiety and distress to other elderly people at that time, worried they might too fall victim to that scam.
‘I hope it doesn’t deter people from getting vaccinated’: Full statement from victim
Kathleen Martin said: ‘I’ve lived in Surbiton all my life and I have never been subjected to such a deceitful and horrific crime.
‘It has been a difficult few months coming to terms with the reality that someone could go to such lengths to defraud a person. Knowing first hand someone would use the Covid 19 vaccination process to scam money from the elderly is very harrowing.
‘I hope this doesn’t deter people from getting vaccinated. It is important people are aware of these scams and always check the validity of what people say when they contact you by phone or knock on your door. These scams are on the rise and they specifically target the elderly. This person posed as an NHS employee with a fake lanyard and gained access to my home.
‘I would like to express my sincere thanks to City of London Police for operating a swift, thorough and diligent investigation. Not only were they able to catch the perpetrator extremely quickly they kept me and my family informed throughout the whole process.
‘Finally, thank you to my family and especially my neighbours, and I hope the awareness of such scams continues to prevent any further victims in the future.’
‘Your actions were cruelly calculated to trick the victim into thinking she had been properly vaccinated so as to be able to obtain payment from her.’
Chambers was also given a seven-year criminal behaviour order to stop him targeting elderly victims in their homes.
The court heard he was previously jailed for 18 months for burgling an elderly woman after telling her he needed to check her boiler and radiators.
He was also handed a suspended sentence, which was later activated, for defrauding two elderly victims by claiming he needed to borrow money for a locksmith after getting locked out of his home.
The judge said: ‘Your previous convictions show a propensity to deliberately target vulnerable elderly victims in their own homes, a place where they should feel safe and secure.
‘You took full advantage of the vaccination rollout to prey on another vulnerable victim in her own home.’
Father-of-three Chambers, from Surbiton, appeared in the dock with his hair swept back into a manbun – the same distinctive hair style seen on CCTV images released in the police appeal that led to his arrest.
Prosecutor William Davis said he had carried out the scam amid rapidly rising Covid-19 infection rates in the UK.
‘We say this offending risked undermining confidence in the vaccine rollout, which was in its early stages at the time,’ he said.
‘Elderly people hearing about these offences may have been concerned they would be victims of a fraud in this way.’
He added: ‘These offences are a particularly cynical act of deception perpetrated against a vulnerable victim.’
In a statement, Ms Martin said she has lived in Surbiton her whole life and had ‘never been subject to such a deceitful and horrific crime’.
She added: ‘It has been a difficult few months coming to terms with the reality that someone could go to such lengths to defraud a person.
‘Knowing first hand someone would use the Covid-19 vaccination process to scam money from the elderly is harrowing.
Chambers is taken into police custody after being arrested in January following the incident
‘It is important people are aware of these scams and always check the validity of what people say when they contact you by phone or knock on your door.
‘These scams are on the rise and they specifically target the elderly. This person posed as an NHS employee with a fake lanyard and gained access to my home.’
Edward Butler, defending, said Chambers felt ‘shame and disgust at his behaviour’ towards Ms Martin and has ‘recognition and remorse for the pain he has caused’.
He added: ‘These are deeply unpleasant and shameful offences. They are the product of a life hitherto wasted in the form of addiction to illegal drugs.’
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Kevin Ives, from the City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, said: ‘This was a heartless and shocking offence with David Chambers showing a complete disregard of an elderly woman’s health, exploiting public concern during this global pandemic.
These images of David Chambers were circulated by City of London Police after the incident
‘We are grateful to members of the public for the large amount of information received following our appeal, which led to this arrest. Make no mistake: this will have stopped other members of the public being defrauded and assaulted.
‘There could very easily have been more people whose lives were endangered whilst believing they had been vaccinated against this deadly virus.’
Maryam Arnott from the Crown Prosecution Service added: ‘David Chambers has a criminal history of exploiting elderly people. On this occasion, he used fears generated by the pandemic to cynically extract funds from a 92-year-old woman.
‘He also placed someone in a high-risk category at risk of Covid transmission, at a time when Tier 3 restrictions were in force.’
Source: Read Full Article
