An elderly victim of a fraud in Hitchin has spoken out after a 39-year-man was jailed for stealing more than £3,000 from her bank card.

The woman talked to the Comet on condition of anonymity after her ordeal.

She said Darren Bain, of no fixed address, struck up a fake friendship with her during spring 2016.

The woman would chat with him while he sat near to the entrance outside Sainburys off Bancroft.

She started to give him a few pounds – but before long the conman wrangled his way into carrying her shopping back to her home in the town.

Bain would then ask to be given ’bus fare’ money to get to jobs – which included insisting he was working as a scaffolder at Sue Ryder charity shop in Welwyn Garden City, as well as separate trips to Letchworth and Stevenage.

She also gave him £30 cash for a taxi fare to the Lister Hospital after his hand was ‘covered in blood’. She said: “He told me he needed treatment after he hurt himself ‘working’. When he returned he even complained he had no money left.

“I then gave him my bank card so he could withdraw money to get to ‘work’. Initially he only took small amounts.

“Eventually I checked my bank account and saw £3,000 had been withdrawn. I was shocked and angry. He was round my house at the time and I told him to get out. I was furious.”

Bain was arrested and charged with three counts of fraud by false representation, eventually pleading guilty at Stevenage Magistrates Court on December 21. He was released from prison on Tuesday.

The woman added: “I hate him. I wrote a letter to him calling him a liar. If I see him in town I’ll call him names. I feel so let down. Some people can’t help being homeless but I’d tell people to be careful about who you trust.”

Community safety sergeant Sammy Doak said: “The victim tried to help and he repaid her kindness by stealing from her – we won’t tolerate offenders targeting elderly members of our community in this way.”