A fraudster who pretended to be quadriplegic for two years in an attempt to evade punishment for conning an elderly and vulnerable neighbour has been jailed for four and a half years.
Alan Knight cheated his neighbour out of his life savings but when police began to investigate he pretended to have suffered a neck injury that left him unable to walk and caused him to periodically fall into a comatose state.
Knight, 47, from Swansea, south Wales, was finally trapped by police after CCTV footage caught him walking during shopping trips. He admitted a string of fraud, forgery and theft charges.
The police officer investigating the case said Knight had not only cheated his neighbour but had cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds. “He had constantly avoided court for two years, costing police, the NHS and the court system thousands of pounds,” said DC Harry Paul.
Knight, a father of three, pretended to care for his elderly neighbour Ivor Richards but in fact was funnelling more than £40,000 out of his bank account and using the cash to pay for holidays and to buy a caravan in Dorset.
After police began to investigate, he claimed he had snapped his neck falling backwards as he pulled down a garage door. He pretended that as well as preventing him from walking, the injury caused him to have seizures which left him in a comatose state.
But he was caught on CCTV at supermarkets across Britain after police traced the use of the family’s Tesco loyalty card. CCTV cameras at the Severn Bridge also captured him heading home after holidays to the south coast of England.
Investigators had tried to bring him to court at least twice but each time he admitted himself to hospital, claiming his condition had worsened.
Swansea crown court was told he had “pulled the wool” over his GP’s eyes but he was unable to fool doctors at the hospital, where he was observed eating, wiping his face and writing.
Knight was informed that he would stand trial whether he was present or not and he finally appeared in court last month in a wheelchair and wearing a neck brace. Police insist there is nothing wrong with him.
After his conviction, Judge Paul Thomas described Knight as a “very accomplished and determined actor”. He said: “A strong message needs to be sent out to anyone who seeks to adopt the same tactics in future.”
