A fraudster who preyed on vulnerable people and committed a string of thefts has been jailed by a court in Cornwall.

Adam Paul Oats, 42, of Harveys Way, Hayle, appeared at Truro Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, March 8 2022 on six counts of fraud by false representation and seven counts of theft.

The offences took place between November 2020 and February 2021, and started in Penzance on November 18 when Oats used bank cards belonging to a female victim to purchase £285 worth of tobacco for himself.

Then, on December 10 in Redruth, Oats again used a bank card belonging to another different female victim in order to make a gain, namely purchasing £40.93 worth of tobacco, for himself as well as stealing her purse and contents and £71 in cash.

Oats then again used the bank card of yet another female victim in Redruth to buy £166.45 worth of tobacco on December 11 in Redruth.

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Just over a week later on December 21, Oats stole £635 worth of belongings from a shoulder bag and its contents , a purse, Apple air pods, and a pair of glasses from another Redruth woman as well using her bank card to buy £115 worth of tobacco.

The following year, on January 23, Oats stole two inflatable kayaks worth £298.98 from The Range in Penzance.

Just over a week later, on January 31, Oats stole a driving licence worth £20 from a person in Truro as well as purchasing £82.30 worth of tobacco.

Oats stole another purse and contents worth £17 on February 5 from a victim in Redruth as well as using her bank card to purchase £42.45 worth of tobacco.

The crime spree came to an end after he stole a two charity boxes of an unknown value on February 11.

Magistrates handed down a sentence of nine months in custody to Oats and he was made to pay compensation totalling £837.

He indicated a plea of guilty for all 13 offences.

The court noted the severity of the sentence was down to the fact the offences targeted vulnerable people and it had taken into account the defendant's guilty plea when imposing it.