A "DESPICABLE" fraudster with 18 aliases left shop staff in tears when he regaled them with heart-rending lies about his own misfortune, Hull Crown Court heard.
Serial conman Simon Porter, 39, played on his victims' misplaced sympathy as he pulled off more than 20 simple but effective frauds in stores across Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.
The court heard his "modus operandi" rarely changed – he simply walked into shops, picked up goods he had not paid for, and took them to the returns desks for refunds.
When staff heard his reasons for no longer wanting the goods, they were either determined to help or too wary of the risks of challenging him because of their emotive nature.
Porter, described as "the ultimate criminal chancer" got a £60 "refund" on two board games from the gift shop at The Deep in Hull on March 30, after saying he had bought them for his nephew who had died of leukaemia.
John Thackray, prosecuting, said the receptionist was "in tears" and "upset at the story she was hearing".
At Morrisons in Anlaby on May 3, Porter obtained another refund after he claimed to have lost a child through cot death, and said his wife was "too upset" to come with him.
Although a member of staff had concerns about Porter's story, he was too worried about the "bad publicity" the company might get if he challenged him and was wrong.
The alarm was raised, however, after the man followed Porter outside and saw him looking "blasé and unconcerned" when he got into his car.
Checks of the supermarket's CCTV footage confirmed Porter entered the store empty-handed.
Porter received a refund of £133.96 from B&M in Halifax on March 22, when he "returned" two bed- stoppers he said his parents no longer needed as they had been taken into a care home.
Staff at a Tesco in Grimsby thought they were dealing with a landlord whose pub had been flooded when he received a £368 refund for electrical items on April 4.
And a garage obligingly parted with £58.47 on May 12 when Porter picked up a container of motor oil and asked for a refund.
The court heard Porter had often undertaken "research" by finding out the name of the relevant manager, so he could say he had spoken to them and been assured a receipt was not needed.
The court heard his victims were shocked, angered and upset when they discovered they had been duped.
Porter, of Gloucester Street, west Hull, admitted five counts of fraud by false representation and asked for 16 similar offences to be taken into account.
The total amount gained from the frauds was more than £3,000.
The court heard he had committed 157 previous offences, mostly relating to dishonesty.
Joanna Golding, defending, said his record amounted to "two decades of deceit".
She said Porter's offending was to fund a £250-a-day drug habit, and described him as "the ultimate criminal chancer".
Miss Golding also said Porter had actually suffered a cot death.
Sentencing Porter to a total of 28 months in jail, Judge Mark Bury told him: "You are a plausible liar. You appear as a genuine and friendly man, articulate, and you have been aware of that throughout your life. It's despicable, manipulative behaviour on your part.
"You have many, many previous convictions for offences of fraud.
"You have been given woefully inadequate sentences in the past. The time has come when you need to be taught a lesson and kept off the streets for some time."
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