Man pretended to be twin

7:14am Tuesday 15th July 2008

A FORMER Honeybourne man who pretended to be his identical twin brother to get money from pensioners has admitted fraud.

On three separate occasions Jonathan Johns approached people and said he was in trouble and needed money.

All the people agreed, thinking he was his well-known fishmonger brother Simon, only to discover later he was not.

Johns, from Droitwich but formerly of Bretforton Road, Honeybourne, admitted three counts of fraud by false representation when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Friday (11).

The first incident happened on Sunday, May 11 when Johns rang the doorbell of a 70-year-old man and said his car had broken down and needed money for diesel.

The pensioner thought 49-year-old Johns was his twin brother and invited him in and gave him £20.

Sometime between Saturday, April 26 and Monday, May 26 Johns went to the home of an 84-year-old man who had known the Johns family for 40 years.

Again he said he needed money for diesel and after being given £10 he said he would repay it the next day, but never did.

On May 26 he returned to the same address and this time said he had been fishing and his car had been stolen. The man gave him £20.

Sallie Hewitt, prosecuting, said: "The man said he was taken in by him because he was so nice. Johns said the reason he had not paid the money back was because he had had a nervous breakdown and was in hospital."

Again, Johns said he would repay the money but he did not. The final incident happened on Sunday, June 22 when he went to a stranger's house, saying he was the local fishmonger. He asked for £30 petrol money and said:"I have to go to Cheltenham hospital to visit my daughter who is dying of cancer."

When he did not repay the money the man called Johns' twin brother Simon. "He was disturbed he was using details to get money from customers," said Mrs Hewitt.

The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report and Johns will return to the court on Friday, August 8 for sentence.

He was released on conditional bail.

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