Northampton fraudster who tricked elderly people into giving her money using '˜sob stories' jailed

Natalie Tidd, aged 32, of Duston, was given an anti-social behaviour order in March 2014 banning her from asking anyone for money in a public place.

But Northampton Crown Court heard Tidd knocked on the door of an 88-year-old man in Northampton in September last year and asked him for money.

Jenna Allen, prosecuting, said Tidd told the man, who she had never met, that she needed money to pay for a train ticket to London to visit her son who was in hospital.

The man gave her £30 but she later came back to his house and said she would have to stay in London so needed another £30.

The next day Tidd went back to the man’s house and claimed her purse had been stolen on the train and was given a another £20 by the man.

Later that day she went back again to the address and told the man she was very upset because she did not have enough money for gas and electricity and her children were cold.

Mrs Allen said the man was reluctant to give her money but handed her £20 and said he had “no more money” to give her.

Later the same month, Tidd knocked on the door of an 86-year-old woman and asked if she could borrow some money from her.

The woman gave her £20 and also gave her some food for her children.

As she was handing over the money, the woman’s neighbour saw what was happening and asked Tidd to give her the cash the next day so she knew the elderly woman would get her money back.

However, Tidd did not pay the money back and went round to the elderly woman’s house again and asked for money. She was given a further £12.

After the victim informed her daughter what had happened, Tidd was arrested and found to be in breach of a suspended sentence imposed in June last year for breaching her asbo.

His Honour Judge Timothy Smith said Tidd was a “persistent offender” who made up “deceitful sob stories” and had not learned from her convictions.

Tidd who pleaded guilty to five charges of fraud and breaching her asbo, was sentenced to two years in prison. She will also serve an extra month for breaching her suspended sentence.