A man from Surbiton has been jailed for giving a fake Covid-19 jab to an elderly lady and defrauding her out of £140.

David Chambers, 33, of Hook Rise North, was sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison in a hearing at Kingston Crown Court today (13 August) after being arrested in January this year.

Chambers, who has a history of exploiting elderly people, visited the woman's address in December 2020 and falsely claimed he was from the NHS, the court heard.

He then touched her arm with 'a dart-like implement' and asked her for £140, which he told her would be reimbursed by the health service.

Police released CCTV images of Chambers on January 8 and arrested him five days later at his friend's address in Surrey.

Chambers was charged on January 14 with two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of common assault, and remanded in custody.

Judge Recorder Hannah Kinch described Chambers' actions as "shameful and despicable" during today's hearing.

As well as the 3 and a half year prison sentence, he was given a criminal behaviour order (CBO) for seven years that will restrict him from approaching members of the public and offering any type of work service.

Detective Inspector, Kevin Ives, from the City of London Police's Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, said:

"This was a heartless and shocking offence with David Chambers showing a complete disregard of an elderly woman's health, exploiting public concern during this global pandemic.

"We are grateful to members of the public for the large amount of information received following our appeal, which led to this arrest.

"Make no mistake: this will have stopped other members of the public being defrauded and assaulted.

"There could very easily have been more people whose lives were endangered whilst believing they had been vaccinated against this deadly virus.

"The Metropolitan Police Service's specialist man-hunt team, along with Metropolitan Police detectives, gave crucial assistance during this investigation and it demonstrates how effective partnership working is.

"It is important to remember the vaccine is only available on the NHS and is free of charge. The NHS will never visit your home unannounced or ask for bank details, PIN numbers or passwords, when contacting you about a vaccination.

"If you receive any communication purporting to be from the NHS asking for payment, bank details or personal details contact your local police force."

Maryam Arnott from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: "David Chambers has a criminal history of exploiting elderly people.

"On this occasion, he used fears generated by the pandemic to cynically extract funds from a 92-year-old woman.

"He also placed someone in a high-risk category at risk of Covid transmission, at a time when Tier 3 restrictions were in force.

"The CPS and City of London Police presented a strong case against Chambers, and he eventually admitted being responsible for all three offences.

"The CPS is committed to bringing fraudsters, including those who have exploited the Covid 19 pandemic for their own gain, to justice."