A fraudster who scammed an elderly Maidenhead man out of £56,000 by telling him a string of lies has been jailed.

Antonello Chiappetta, 52, of no fixed address, initially approached his 75-year-old victim back in June 2017 to ask him to lend him cash.

He told him that his mother had died and left him an inheritance of £92,000, but in order to release it, he needed to pay solicitors a fee.

Chiappetta said he would then pay him back.

Over the course of 18 months, his elderly victim paid at least £56,000 to Chiappetta, who carried on making up lies - including that he was homeless and needed cash to find somewhere to live.

It was only in December 2018, when the victim's son found out about the money, that Chiappetta was reported to the police.

And Thames Valley Police's investigation revealed that Chiappetta had already been given inheritance money before he started scamming the elderly victim.

Chiappetta pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and was jailed for four years and three months at Reading Crown Court on Friday, February 12.

Designated Investigator Pippa Rouse, from Maidenhead Priority Crime Team, said: “Chiappetta took full advantage of an elderly man, manipulating him into a horrendous ordeal which saw him lose tens of thousands of pounds.

“The impact was not only financial but also caused significant emotional strain on him and his family from which they are still recovering.

“We are pleased justice has now been done and that Chiappetta cannot subject anyone else to the same ordeal.”