A BOGUS workman who targeted elderly people in West Fife then conned and bullied them out of thousands of pounds has been jailed.

James Peacock lied callously that he would carry out roofing repairs and then threatened his elderly victims until they paid up.

Peacock, 39, chose vulnerable victims and bullied them into giving him more and more money even though work was never done, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard.

One victim was an 81-year-old man whose wife had just recently died and he depended on meals-on-wheels.

Peacock returned to the man’s home repeatedly, walking in uninvited, shouting and demanding money.

The emergency services were alerted eventually and the distressed man was found sobbing in his home. He was taken to hospital where he remained until he had recovered from his ordeal.

Another victim was a 72-year-old man living alone and undergoing chemotherapy for cancer when he was conned out of £2,300.

“Every other day” Peacock would turn up at this man’s home demanding money, depute fiscal Dev Kapadia told the court.

Peacock gave false names to the ‘customers’ and it was all a scam to feed his cocaine habit at a time when he was also on benefits.

The court could make no compensation orders for the victims because Peacock apparently has no money left.

He would cold-call at his victim's home and offer to clear gutters for a small fee. He would then tell them they needed roofing repairs and begin squeezing as much possible out of them as possible.

An 81-year-old man in Rosyth was threatened repeatedly with Peacock banging on his windows and entering his house uninvited.

Peacock, 39, formerly of Elder Place, Rosyth, and latterly living at Dundonald Park, Cardenden, appeared from custody for sentencing.

Previously, he admitted a catalogue of offences which stretched from February last year until this September.

Between August 31 and September 25, at Chapel Street, High Valleyfield, he breached bail conditions. On that occasion, he said he was just helping another person but the scam resulted in a 75-year-old man losing £5,100.

On February 12 last year, at Macbeth Road, Dunfermline, Peacock pretended to a woman that he would carry out roofing repairs which he had no intention of doing and obtained £5,000 by fraud.

On March 8 last year, at Whitelaw Road, Dunfermline, he pretended to a man, then aged 65, that he would carry out roofing repairs and obtained £2,000 by fraud.

Between September 1 and October 27 last year, at Parkside Street, Rosyth, he pretended to an 81-year-old man that he would carry out roofing repairs and paintwork and obtained £415 by fraud.

Also, between those dates, he engaged in a course of conduct which caused the man fear and alarm.

He attended at his home repeatedly, demanded money from him repeatedly, entered the house uninvited, struck windows and doors repeatedly and shouted at the man.

On September 2 last year, at Parkgate, Rosyth, he pretended to an 82-year-old woman that he would carry out roofing repairs and obtained £2,800 by fraud.

Between October 25 last year and January 4, at Churchill Place, Rosyth, he pretended to a 72-year-old man that he had cleaned gutters and would carry out roofing repairs and obtained £2,300 by fraud.

Between those dates, he attended at the man’s home repeatedly, phoned him, demanded money from him and shouted at him.

Between November 2-5 last year, at Whinnyburn Place, Rosyth, he pretended to a 72-year-old woman that he would carry out roofing repairs and obtained £1,200 by fraud.

Between February 12-20, at Craig Street, Rosyth, he pretended to a 78-year-old man that he would carry out roofing repairs and obtained £420 by fraud.

Defence solicitor James Moncrieff said: “These are not pleasant offences to put it mildly and little can be said in mitigation.

“He himself says he is disgusted by his behaviour. There is a background of drink and drugs misuse. He had started taking cocaine.”

Sheriff Alastair Brown told Peacock: “For pensioners, perhaps on a fixed low income, this type of crime can lead to long-term deprivation and poverty. The public disapproves very strongly of this offending and the court equally so.”

He pointed out that his sentencing was restricted by the fact that the Crown had brought the case under summary rather than solemn procedure, where longer terms of custody would have been possible.

The sheriff jailed Peacock for 17 months.