Alan Knight of Swansea, South Wales was able to pull off an elaborate scheme for 2 years with help from his wife, Helen.
Knight pretended to have seizures that would put him in a coma. All the while he was scamming money from his neighbor, Alan Richards' pension. He used the $66,000 he received to fund vacations with his family.
During Knight's "vegetative" states
Helen would pretend she was caring for him. Sitting for hours by his
hospital bed and assisting him in a wheelchair.
However, the con man wasn't the sharpest
pencil in the box. He was often spotted on CCTV shopping with his family
at a Tesco supermarket, pushing a shopping basket without any problems.
He was also seen driving a car. During one particular stay at a
hospital, Knight was supposed to be in a coma, but doctors spotted him
sitting up eating in bed.
Knight was trying to avoid going to jail after being convicted in 2012 for theft.
"In my entire career this is the most calculated, long-term deception of a vulnerable, elderly neighbor I have ever seen," Detective Con Paul Harry told The Daily Mail. "He had constantly avoided court for two years, costing police, the NHS and the court system thousands of pounds.
The law finally caught on to Knight's scheme
and on Tuesday, October, 21, he pleaded guilty to 19 charges of forgery,
fraud and theft for over more than a year at Swansea Crown Court. He
will be sentenced on November 7.