Richard Wyn Lewis, 51, was a 'thoroughly dishonest man' in his dealings with Gerald Corrigan
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A "serial fraudster" has been jailed for six years after conning more than £200,000 from a pensioner who was later murdered in a crossbow shooting. Richard Wyn Lewis befriended Gerald Corrigan, 74, and persuaded the retired lecturer and his partner Marie Bailey to hand over money they believed was related to property development, land sales and horses, Mold Crown Court heard today.
Mr Corrigan was fatally shot with a crossbow outside his home in a remote part of Anglesey in April 2019.
The court heard the fraud was unconnected to Mr Corrigan's killing, but the offences had come to light when Ms Bailey was interviewed in the aftermath of the shooting.
Sentencing Lewis for five counts of fraud, Judge Rhys Rowlands said:
"That murder tragically remains without a known motive." Describing Lewis as a "thoroughly dishonest man", Judge Rowlands said: "You got away with it time and time again until matters came to light during the course of extensive police inquiries which followed Mr Corrigan's murder."
He said he did not know whether Lewis, who has previous convictions for dishonest behaviour, was "capable of rehabilitation" on release. The judge said should Lewis return to Anglesey, where he was brought up, he hoped the publicity of the case would offer a "measure of protection" to residents and that he would be viewed as a "serial fraudster".
The court heard Mr Corrigan and Ms Bailey had handed over £220,000 to Lewis, 51, and
in the days before his death Mr Corrigan told the fraudster: "There is no more money."