Conman banned from 'collecting cash'
11:50pm Thursday 20th March 2008
THE public are being warned not to give a notorious criminal who pretends to be collecting money for charity any cash.
Police issued the alert after a judge imposed a court order on Norman Jones after he was caught asking people to donate to a made-up children's jujitsu club.
This means that if Jones is caught asking members of the public for cash, whether working for a legitimate charity or not, he faces being jailed for six months.
Police welcomed the imposition of the order and urged the public to contact them if they see Jones asking for money.
Insp Russ Procter of Nelson police said: "It is deplorable that Jones is taking people's hard earned money, which they believe they are giving to a local or national charity. He has defrauded them of their cash.
"We are warning people not to give their money to this man and if he comes knocking on their door or approaches them in a pub to report it to the Burnley police."
Burnley Magistrates was told that Jones, 57, of Earl Street, Colne, had been collecting money from businesses and a number of licensed premises in and around Burnley and Pendle in January, making a total of £7.
Jones, a convicted murderer and football hooligan, had admitted three charges of fraud on January 11 and asked for four similar offences to be considered.
The court was told that Jones went to Earby armed with a collecting box and two identity cards to use in the scam.
He was taken ill after he was arrested and now had heart problems.
District Judge Maurice Greene gave him six months in prison, suspended for two years, a three month curfew, and a collection ban.
The ban means that he cannot collect for any charity and, if he does, he will be sentenced to six months in prison. No order was made for costs.
Last year Jones was sent to jail after admitting fraud by false representation when he claimed he was collecting for a blaze victim.
Three years ago the defendant, a former leader of the Burnley Suicide Squad, was caught making bogus collections for children's charities in Clitheroe, Nelson and Blackburn. He was sent to custody for just over a year.
Insp Procter said: "He has been going out collecting money from people for a long while.
"In January this year he had been going into shops in Earby and collecting money for a jujitsu club which does not exist.
"We know that he has been asking for money from a large number of premises over a long period of time. He is well know for doing this locally and could even have travelled further afield.
"We cannot be sure how much money he has taken from people but believe that he has duped people out of a significant amount of money over the years."
Anyone who sees Jones collecting cash is asked to contact Burnley police on 01282 425001 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.