TWO men who conned a woman out of $250,000 cash earlier this month were each sentenced to 18 months in prison at hard labour yesterday in the Half-Way-Tree Resident Magistrate's Court after pleading guilty to the charge.

The conmen, Aaron Liking and Colin Johnson, had earlier appeared before the court on April 17 but their sentencing were delayed after Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey sought time to determine the number of previous convictions they had.

At the time the court was told that the men approached a woman earlier this month and told her that they had recently returned to the island and had been conned of $650,000. They asked the woman to allow them to lodge their remaining money into her bank account for safekeeping.

Both men, according to the prosecution, further told the woman that they needed to see proof that she owned an account before they deposited the money.

To this effect, the woman subsequently withdrew $250,000 from her account to show to Liking and Johnson, who took the money from her and ran. The woman then made a report to the police.

Liking and Johnson were picked up by the police along the Mandela Highway some time after the report was made.
Yesterday prosecuters told the court that Liking had been jailed in the past for shop-breaking and larceny. Johnson, in the meanwhile, was previously convicted of two unstated offences.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World