A St.Helens man who has a long history of fraud offence targeting the elderly and vulnerable has been given an indefinite ASBO (anti social behaviour order) enforceable throughout England and Wales.

 

Last year, at Liverpool Crown Court  Paul Harden, 44 of Hammond Street, St Helens was sentenced to a total of 20 months in prison for one count of theft and two counts of Fraud and was given an indefinite ASBO.

 

Harden has a long history of fraud offences targeting the elderly and most vulnerable members of the community with his victims being between 60 and 93 years of age. Harden has used a number of different methods to obtain money including selling raffle tickets for a none existent draw, taking money up front for gardening services that he never started and offers to buy cigarettes and alcohol and not returning with the goods once he has the money. 

 

Harden was given an ASBO, a two year order in September 2011, at St Helens Magistrates' Court following a number of complaints from elderly resident in the area, with conditions not to canvass for business work or proposed charity collection door to door or to cause harassment, alarm or distress to members of the community within the Borough of St. Helens. 

 

Following the publicity of the order, Merseyside Police received new reports from colleagues of Greater Manchester Police that Harden was also targeting the vulnerable and elderly in the Wigan area.  Working together to present fresh evidence before Liverpool Crown Court on Friday,  Merseyside Police and Greater Manchester Police successfully secured a new order with the existing conditions and the widening of the geographical area to cover England and Wales for an indefinite period.

 

Judge Warner who granted the order described Harden as a persistent and predatory fraudster with no regard for the law and stated that Harden was a real and present threat to the vulnerable.

 

Acting Chief Inspector Derek Riley says "Merseyside Police and partners successfully secured an Anti-Social Behaviour Order in 2011 which prohibited Harden from targeting the elderly and vulnerable in St Helens.  Despite the ASBO, Harden continued to target the elderly and vulnerable in the Wigan area -  working with our Greater Manchester Police colleagues we were able to successfully secure an indefinite ASBO covering the England and Wales area. We will continue to work with partners and other police forces where necessary to stop the likes of Harden targeting vulnerable people". 

 

Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Environmental Protection and Safer Communities, said:  "Such behaviour is not to be tolerated and we will continue to work with our partners to stop nuisance such as this which can cause such great distress."