A man from Eccles has been jailed after scamming his vulnerable elderly neighbour out of more than £100,000.
It comes after an extensive investigation by detectives in Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Economic Crime Unit, which was launched after a reported to police that it believed ‘suspicious activity’ was taking place in a 76-year-old man’s bank account.
It was quickly established that the victim was a neighbour of Lee Hodson and his girlfriend Jennifer Picken in Eccles.
Hodson was able to dupe and deceive his way into being named on the victim’s financial accounts by creating online access while posing as the victim, which he did by stealing confidential post, personal paperwork, and the victim’s private information – such as date of birth, phone numbers, previous addresses, occupations, and his National Insurance number, all in order to pass online security checks.
Hodson successfully impersonated the victim and proceeded to set up online accounts using his own contact details, and also used his girlfriend’s bank account to launder the money.
That’s not all either, as Hodson also sadly updated the victim’s pensions and state benefits so that they would be paid directly into his own account without flagging bank security.
#JAILED | An investigation led by our Economic Crime Unit was launched after a bank reported to police they believed suspicious activity was taking place in a 76-year-old man’s bank account.
The victim’s bank finally contacted the police after a total of was £230,742.39 was withdrawn from the victim’s account to Picken’s bank account in June 2021 – with the money then being withdrawn, spent, and dispersed across multiple accounts and family members.
After police obtained enough evidence, Hodson was charged with multiple offences including fraud, burglary, escape from lawful custody, assault with intent to resist arrest, and money laundering, while Picken was also charged with fraud and money laundering offences.
Hodson was sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to fraud, money laundering, escaping lawful custody, impersonating a police officer, and burglary offences.
Picken was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 150 hours of community service.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Tim Flint, who leads a team of fraud detectives in GMP’s Economic Crime Team, said: “We were investigating a well-planned fraud which ultimately targeted an elderly gentleman out of £100,000.
“It was heartless and they preyed on him because of his age.
“Their despicable actions have had a devastating impact on the victim who has now sadly passed away and now his surviving relatives have had to endure a trial.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Emily Sergeant -
17th February 2025 
