A FRAUDSTER who conned two elderly residents out of £450,000 in a gold bullion courier scam has been jailed.

Both victims lost all their life savings to Ashley Marlon Thompson, North Yorkshire Police have revealed.

The 26-year-old Londoner hoaxed them into believing their bank accounts were compromised and turning all their money into gold bullion which was then collected by a "police courier" to be "kept safe".

But the county force, working with gold dealers and City of London Police tracked down Thompson when he tried to sell one of the gold bullion bars at a London pawnbroker.

Thompson, of Margery Street, Islington, pleaded guilty to fraud. He denied money laundering and was convicted by a London jury.

He was jailed for 21 months at Inner London Crown Court.

North Yorkshire Police Detective Constable Neil Brodhurst from the force’s economic crime unit, led the investigation. He said: “Throughout the trial Thompson denied any knowledge of the gold bar’s origin, sticking to his story that he had simply found it in a bag of tools. He also couldn’t explain why he’d gone to the lengths of faking a hire contract for a non-existent lock-up facility to show the pawnbroker.

“The two victims of this courier fraud were absolutely devastated by it. They were groomed over a period of several months with their trust and good nature callously exploited to the extent that they lost their entire life savings to someone claiming to be a police officer.

“We unfortunately see courier fraud targeting North Yorkshire residents time and time again and I’d like to take this opportunity to issue another warning about it. The fraudsters use incredibly calculated and manipulative tactics to convince their victims that they are legitimate police officers or bank officials and will keep going until they get what they want.

“Remember, the police or your bank will NEVER contact you and ask you to move or transfer money and will definitely never ask you to purchase high value items or to hand over your bank cards. Please be on your guard and share this warning with your friends, family and networks.

“This type of crime is the highest priority for North Yorkshire Police and I hope that Thompson’s sentence sends a powerful message to criminals that we will pursue you wherever you are.

“We’re very grateful to the pawnbrokers and gold dealers who alerted us to the criminal activity and gave us the opportunity to act, as well as to our colleagues at the City of London Police for their support in arresting Thompson.

“This investigation is the culmination of more than a year’s hard work and dedication from the team in our Economic Crime Unit and I hope Thompson’s sentence will serve as some closure for our victims.”