A fraudster with links to Droylsden has been jailed for conning a blind piano tuner out of £185,000

Window cleaner Mark Stanner, 42, bombarded his victim with demands for money over four years, claiming it was for unpaid invoices advertising his piano tuning services.

The sums grew larger over time, with Stanner once asking for £4,000 to be paid within the hour otherwise he would confiscate the man in his 50’s property.

The blind-from-birth piano tuner received a string of emails, texts and phone calls from Stanner, who has been locked up for five-and-a-half years for conspiracy to defraud.

“Sadly, this case demonstrates how easy it is for people to fall victim to fraudsters, especially when they are convincing,” said Detective Constable Michelle Wilkinson of GMP’s Economic Crime Team. “The victim was vulnerable, and Stanner took advantage of this. I hope he spends his time in jail thinking about the consequences of his actions.

“We would like to use this opportunity to ensure that we are providing crime prevention advice to individuals across Greater Manchester, we want to equip our communities with advice on how to reduce your chances of falling victim to fraud.

"Look out for unexpected contact from unknown companies asking for your money, the likelihood is that this is fraudulent. Check who has contacted you and make sure that it checks out.”

Stanner, of Brocklehurst Avenue, Macclesfield, had assistance from a friend and his sister in concealing the money.

Marvin Scott, 41, of Charlestown Road, Moston, was sentenced to 31 months after allowing Stanner to put £48,000 through his bank accounts.

Stanner’s sister, Martina Turner, 44, of Sunnyside Road, Droylsden, was handed an 18-month suspended sentence and ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work after siphoning £31,000 of the victim’s money for her brother.