A CONMAN who pretended to collect donations for cancer sufferers has been given a suspended jail sentence.

David Solomon, pictured, of Kimmeridge Road, Cumnor, told businesses he was doing a walk to raise money for non-existent charity Cancer Relations. He also committed a string of other offences including burglary, shoplifting and theft after losing his job as a chef and being made homeless last year.

John Upton, prosecuting yesterday at Oxford Crown Court, said the 35-year-old targeted Harold Davies, who was working in Taylor’s Estate Agents in London Road, Headington, on November 13 last year.

The barrister said Solomon went in to the estate agents claiming he was collecting money because his father had died of cancer and his brother was a current sufferer.

But Mr Davies saw through his deception and after checking the charity’s details found it had ceased to exist in 1994.

He then followed and confronted the fraudster, before leading him back to two other businesses he had conned and making him repay their donations.

He added that Solomon had been convicted of three counts of fraud by false representation on November 13, and one count of burglary on June 5 this year in Botley.

Mr Upton said at a previous hearing he admitted two further counts of fraud by false representation and three separate counts of theft.

Judge Gordon Risius sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for two years. He told him: “You were taking advantage of people’s generosity in order to make money for yourself.”