Northampton judge jails "despicable" trickster who posed as nurse to scam £1,200 from blind man

A “despicable” trickster who posed as a nurse to scam a disabled man out of more than £1,200 which she blew on cigarettes and scratchcards has been jailed at Northampton Crown Court.

Scheming Maria Davis, 42, preyed on the partially-sighted victim, who also has learning difficulties, after spotting him struggling to buy groceries. She approached the man, who has not been named, and claimed she was a registered nurse and offered to go shopping for him.

Days later he gave Davis his bank card and she tricked him into giving her his PIN number. She then used the card to withdraw cash and buy cigarettes, scratchcards, Lucozade and crisps until the victim and his carers realised £1,278 was missing from his account and contacted police.

She initially denied conning the man but on Monday (November 28) she was jailed for eight months after admitting six charges of fraud. Jailing her, Recorder Graham Huston said: “These are despicable offences committed by someone who has no sense of shame.”

Davis has 21 convictions for 77 offences dating back to 2003 – including 17 similar frauds.

The court heard Davis approached her victim and offered him assistance with his groceries in May 2020. Prosecutor Serena Varatharajah said: “She said her name was Claire Taylor and she was a registered nurse.”

After being invited into his house, Davis offered to do his shopping and was given his bank card. She then called her victim claiming contactless payments were not working to get his PIN.

But Davis, who appeared via videolink from HMP Peterborough, used his card to spend £37.96 on items for herself at Costcutter, then withdrew £250 cash from a Morrisons. An attempt to take another £250 out from Santander was declined but she successfully bought Lucozade and crisps at Tesco, cigarettes and scratchcards.

In a victim impact statement, the man said he felt that she took advantage of his disability and that he was now a lot more wary around people. Pree Brada, defending, said: “What she is asking for is one last chance”, but Recorder Huston said a community sentence would be “futile'”.

Davis, of Regent Street, Kettering, is also due to be sentenced for drugs offences in January next year.