Crook used friendship with disabled man to steal cash

Dec 30 2010 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A CALLOUS crook used his friendship with a disabled man to fraudulently steal cash from his bank account.

Michael Armit used the birth certificate of his friend, who suffers from cerebral palsy, in order to get his hands on the cash.

Livingston Sheriff Court heard that at the time of the offence Armit and his victim, who also has learning difficulties, were friends and that on the eve of the theft Armit had stayed the night at the victim’s house.

Fiscal depute Claire Martin said: “During the evening the complainer had talked about going to the bank and withdrawing money.

“He had told the accused at this point that a friend had his bank card, and [as] he was in London he was going to use his birth certificate as identification.” But the court heard that the following morning Armit walked in to the Llodys TSB branch in Carmondean and assumed the identity of his friend – even pretending to be disabled.

Armit told staff that he didn’t have his bank card and even pretended to have cerebral palsy, prompting the teller to fill out the withdrawal slip for £100. However, later that day the victim went in to the bank branch and when he spoke to the same member of staff bank officials realised something was wrong.

Police were called and Armit was later arrested and taken to Livingston Police Station.

The 29-year-old told police he had taken the birth certificate without his friend’s knowledge and used it to obtain £100.

And last week at the court Armit, whose address was given as Kenilworth Rise, Livingston, pled guilty to obtaining cash fraudulently.

Handing down 140 hours of community service, Sheriff Graeme Warner said: “This was a particularly nasty offence – and you can hardly be said to be a first offender.

“You have an unpleasant and not short record.”