A WREXHAM man who defrauded a vulnerable woman by “inflating” her loans has been jailed.

Alexander William Dyer, aged 38 and of Heol Offa in Johnstown, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday.

He had admitted four counts of fraud at a previous hearing - two being by false representation and two by abuse of position - the earliest beginning in 2016 and the latest ending in 2019.

Jemma Gordon, prosecuting, told the court Dyer had been an employee of the personal loans company Provident over a number of years.

His responsibility was collecting payments for the firm and clients could also apply for new loans through him.

He began working with Ann Salisbury, a vulnerable 58-year-old resident in Wrexham, and attended weekly to collect her money.

During his time as her agent, she applied for loans which she would pay off in the usual way.

But in 2019 she became concerned when she received a letter from a debt collection company telling her payments totalling thousands of pounds were outstanding.

Ms Salisbury contacted Dyer, who told her he’d been told to stop collecting from her until the matter was sorted, and took the letter.

She then got in touch with a previous agent, who told her Dyer was no longer working for the company.

Ms Gordon said it was discovered that after his employment with Provident had terminated and before Ms Salisbury realised this, he had continued to collect her payments.

The matter was reported to the police and during the investigation it was found Dyer had been defrauding Ms Salisbury for a number of years on her existing loans, as well as “making loans” himself.

In a victim statement, Ms Salisbury said the offences had left her feeling gullible, embarrassed, stressed and paranoid about meeting new people.

She said Dyer had seemed helpful and she considered him a friend at the time.

Maria Masselis, defending, said a pre-sentence report completed with her client showed his “frankness in discussions” with the probation service, as well as his debt problems and alcohol use.

“He has made considerable inroads to clearing that debt,” she said.

“He was ashamed and too embarrassed about his behaviour to seek the assistance of his wife.

“In many ways this is a person whose just desserts would be to hear the prison gates, but what he has done is plead guilty at the first opportunity, he shows genuine remorse and he has already taken steps to address what led him to commit this offence in the first place.”

She agreed with Judge David Hale that the offence had been “desperately mean” but said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation for Dyer.

Judge David Hale told him: “The victim was a lady of 58 whom you knew to be disabled.

“You knew her to be wholly honest.

“You saw the opportunity of taking more money by inflating the loans she thought she was getting and making loans yourself.

“You used no particular sophistication in doing it, but you knew that unless you came into money it would all come out in the end - and it did.

“The family makes clear the terrible thing you have inflicted on this poor woman.

“She trusted you.”

Judge Hale handed Dyer an eight month custodial sentence on each of the four charges to be served concurrently, making his total eight months.

“I won’t suspend it,” the Judge told him, “because this was persistent and cruel as you must have known yourself.”

Dyer was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £140 on his release from prison.