Serial conman jailed after offences in Bristol and other areas
By matt_2009 | Tuesday, November 06, 2012, 11:14
A man who heartlessly conned people in North Somerset, Bristol and other parts of the country out of cash by posing as a vicar or ex-serviceman has been sentenced to 16 months in prison today.
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Serial conman jailed after offences in Bristol and other areas.
Robert Kerr, aged 53 and of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to five offences of fraud by false representation and asked for another 15 to be taken into consideration.
Keith Harris, investigating officer based at Weston-super-Mare, co-ordinated the national investigation which culminated with his arrest in Romford, Essex, in September. He said: "Robert Kerr travelled all over the country preying on vulnerable, elderly people to make money.
"While the amounts of money he made each time are relatively low, the humiliation and hurt he has caused his victims is a disgrace.
"He clearly thought he was untouchable, making up elaborate sob stories to con elderly people out of their money and travel the country."
Among the offences Kerr pleaded guilty to was a fraud in Yatton in March 2011, where he claimed to be a priest needing money to return to Northern Ireland.
His other local offences include a spate in February 2011 where he posed as a priest whose car had broken down in Weston-super-Mare, a diabetic in Yatton who was just out of hospital and needed to get a flight to Belfast, and the friend of a sick man who needed collecting from the BRI in Bristol.
Robert Kerr pleaded guilty to five frauds in Gloucestershire, Scarborough, Merseyside, Yatton and Blackburn. The 15 taken into consideration happened in Weston-super-Mare, Yatton, Clevedon, Bristol, Skipton, Liverpool, Newton Aycliffe, Upminster, Rayleigh, Ipswich, Hitchin, Renfrew and Basildon.
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