A MAN has been jailed for two years and three months for his role in a cruel scam that saw an elderly Bradford couple fleeced out of £18,000.

Heath Harrison, 40, of Bowling Old Lane, Bradford, appeared in the dock at Bradford Crown Court yesterday with his partner Teresa Troy, 40, of the same address, and her son, Kieran Troy, 20, who had shared their home.

Prosecutor Sharon Beattie told how the actions of the three had left the man aged 85, and his wife, also 85, who has Alzheimers, frightened and with their life savings plundered.

The first of the trio to target the couple, from the Great Horton area, was Kieran Troy and an unknown accomplice.

Troy, who has serious mental health problems, was sentenced to a Hospital Order with a restriction for offences of blackmail, robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The court heard he had previous convictions for burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and theft.

Mrs Beattie said Kieran Troy and another male demanded £1,000 to repair a loose flagstone at the couple’s home.

The man handed over £600 and then his car keys but Troy returned demanding another £400.

While the couple were watching Wimbledon on TV, Troy and an accomplice forced their way into their home and robbed the man of his wallet. His wife was pushed to the floor, sustaining a fractured right wrist.

Both pensioners suffered cuts and bruises and were left shocked and in pain.

Kieran Troy then committed a burglary with two knives at the Bradford home of a disabled man and his daughter who has cerebral palsy. Both victims were confined to wheelchairs and were left feeling frightened and insecure in their home.

The court heard that Troy and an accomplice got in through the bathroom window upstairs but fled when the police arrived very promptly.

Officers found two knives brought to the scene by Troy.

After he was arrested and remanded into custody, his mother and Harrison targeted the elderly couple.

Teresa Troy pretended to be from British Gas to scam them for money, saying they needed a new fuse box, and then posed as a solicitor claiming that their car, stolen by her son, had been involved in an accident and there was a damages claim in a London court.

When the man refused to pay out £1,100, Troy said the bailiffs were coming round. He handed over £250 but she then demanded more money to avoid “repercussions.”

In a cruel twist to the scam, she claimed there had been a court judgment in the man’s favour and fleeced him out of more money to ensure delivery of a non-existent cheque.

Harrison assisted Teresa Troy with the fraud, and bank cards stolen in the robbery were found at his address.

Teresa Troy admitted four offences of fraud and Harrison two offence of fraud and two counts of handling a stolen bank card

Teresa Troy’s case was adjourned until April 24 for a probation report. Her bail was extended.

Her barrister, Shufqat Khan, said she was the mother of eight children, and one was very seriously ill with cancer.

She had limited previous convictions, the last being ten years ago, and had never served a prison sentence. She was a gambling addict and things had spiralled out of control.

The court heard that Kieran Troy had ADHD and a personality disorder. He had a history of substance misuse and self-harm.

He was ashamed of his behaviour and responding well to treatment after being transferred from a young offender institution to a hospital.

Emma Downing, for Harrison, conceded that prison was inevitable.

It was an unsophisticated fraud and his was not a leading role.

Harrison was addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling at the time.

He was ashamed and disgusted with himself.

Judge Jonathan Gibson said that although Teresa Troy was “the voice and face” of the scam, Harrison was involved in deliberately targeting a vulnerable victim.