A serial conman who convinces shops to pay him compensation with bizarre stories has been ordered to disclose his fraud convictions when making complaints in future.
Ian Patrick McEnroe’s tall tales include getting an electric shock from a Christmas ornament, a bloodied bunch of flowers, glass in ice cubes and razor blades in toys, which he has used to get people to pay him in shops all over the country.
Today, he was found guilty in his absence of one of the latest cons, after being caught on a cafe’s CCTV claiming his granddaughter had cut her lip on a paper milkshake cup the previous day.
But he was caught out by cafe owner Rebecca Baker, who knew she hadn’t served any milkshakes that day. And when he realised he was on camera, he quickly left.
McEnroe, 62, of Queens Road, Brighton, was tried at Brighton Magistrates Court in his absence after refusing to leave his cell to come to court. He is currently serving a 25-month sentence for similar frauds.
Prosecuting, Alan Balneaves said a bad character application had previously been granted, allowing him to disclose to the bench McEnroe’s 38 previous convictions for 192 offences, mainly theft, over more than 40 years.
He described how McEnroe had gone into the Sunbean Cafe in Terminus Road, Eastbourne. He said: “He tells her a story about how his granddaughter had ordered a milkshake the previous day, drank from the paper cup and cut her lip.
“She’s a young granddaughter who has blood thinning medication and she bled profusely all over the car and he then claims £80 for valeting service of his car.
“Rebecca Baker had been working all day before and she hadn’t sold anyone a milkshake.”
In a witness statement read out in court, Ms Baker said: “I thought absolutely not. I offered to refund him the cost of a milkshake and suggested he contact the paper cup company.
“I began to panic wondering if I was going to get sued.
“He asked if we had CCTV. He said that he would contact his granddaughter. We never saw him again.”
She said she had then seen a picture of the same man posted on a local Facebook group, with a warning he was making up stories for compensation from local shops, some of whom had paid him.
She contacted police and gave them the CCTV. He was identified by two officers – one, PC Curtis Hardy, who was investigating similar cases, and PC Nick Strickland from Brighton and Hove Business Crime Reduction Partnership, who has frequently seen McEnroe on CCTV from city shops.
When he was arrested, he refused to come to the interview room and said no comment to all questions directed to him in his police cell.
After viewing the cafe CCTV, chair of the bench Thomas Wands and his two colleagues found McEnroe guilty.
Mr Balneaves then requested a five-year criminal behaviour order, including a condition that he must not make a refund or compensation claim from any retail or food premises in Sussex.
The order said he must report any incidents to police within 24 hours, and he is obliged to make a declaration to any food or retail premises, in writing, that he has been convicted for previous fraudulent refund and compensation requests.
Defending, Kevin Light asked the bench to make any sentence concurrent to the 25 months he was given by a judge at Croydon Crown Court in October last year, saying that this offence should have been dealt with at the same time but had “slipped through the net”.
He said: “He has got an appalling record, that goes without saying. If this matter had been dealt with on 21 October, it’s unlikely his sentence would have been any longer than the 25 months, taking into account the principle of totality.
“I would ask you give him a prison sentence because it’s worthy of a prison sentence, but to make that concurrent with the one he’s serving at the moment.”
He also asked for an adjournment as McEnroe had not been made aware the criminal behaviour order was being requested.
However, the bench said it would be made immediately. Mr Wands said: “There are small businesses across Sussex trying to make ends meet and they’re being defrauded by this man and they need protection.
“He will be made fully aware of these conditions and if he feels any of them are unreasonable he has the opportunity to appeal.
“The court is fully charged with the principle of doing right by all men.
“We are agreed on a 26-week prison sentence, uplifted because of the aggravating factors of numerous previous convictions and of behaviour whilst on licence and no mitigation.
“The 26 weeks will be consecutive to his current sentence. Unless we pass a punishment that does impact them, this court is not serving its purpose.”
