A bogus window cleaner who “preyed on” a vulnerable, elderly couple has been jailed for what a district judge described as a “despicable” offence.

Luke Brewster, 27, of Leeds Road, Shipley, was yesterday found guilty of fraud by making a false representation after he turned up at the Thackley home of Eric and Alma Ross, asking for money.

Prosecutor Mark Haigh said Brewster was “notorious” for posing as a window cleaner, with eight previous convictions dating back to 2010 for similar offences in the Idle and Shipley areas.

Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court was told 87-year-old Mr Ross answered the door to a man on the evening of August 6 last year, who said he was there to collect window cleaning money.

Giving evidence Mr Ross said he had not recognised the man and thought he was up to date with his window cleaning payments.

He gave the man £20, who then he said he would return with the change but the couple did not see him again.

Mr Ross said: “To be honest, I went back and realised I’d been conned. The whole set-up made me realise I should have thought about it more than I did.”

Mrs Ross identified Brewster as having been the man who came to the door after she was shown photographs by police.

She told the court she had felt “fairly sure” Brewster was the culprit.

Finding him guilty of the offence and sentencing him to five months in prison District Judge Joanne Hirst said: “This is a despicable offence, you preyed on a vulnerable and elderly couple.”

She said he had not learned his lesson by previous sentences and custody was inevitable.

In his defence Brewster told the court he had not been involved in the crime. He said he had been threatened by a group of window cleaners and there had been rumours about him in the area.

“This time I have not done it,” he said.

Speaking after the hearing Mrs Ross said: “You feel vulnerable. We both feel sorry for the guy. We think what’s brought him to that?

“We are both Christians and we usually give people the benefit of the doubt.

“We were brought up in a different era, when you could trust people.

“People should be more careful these days, Don’t let anyone cross your threshold if you don’t know them, you can’t be too careful.”