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Conwoman lied about sick family to get cash from victims
A CON artist who duped victims into handing over cash by pretending her family members were seriously ill has been convicted of fraud.
Sherene Simmons, 32, of Dalmally Road, Croydon, turned up unexpectedly on victims' doorsteps, often in the early hours of the morning, pretending relatives were sick in hospital and pleading for help and money to visit them.
Targeting victims in Addiscombe, Ashburton, Shirley and Croham, Simmons claimed on one occasion that her mother had suffered a heart attack and she needed the money to get to hospital.
Her victims often doubted the story but nonetheless gave Simmons some money, typically between £40 to £60 cash, on the understanding she would pay them back – which Simmons never did.
In some cases, she shamelessly returned to the same victim to ask for more money and help, saying her mother had suffered further illness or even died.
She pleaded guilty last Thursday at Camberwell Magistrates' Court to 12 counts of fraud by false representation, having been arrested last Monday and charged the next day.
Simmons has been remanded in custody to appear at Croydon Crown Court for sentencing on a date to be confirmed.
Detective Constable Scott Barefoot, of Croydon CID, who investigated the case, said police used CCTV footage to identify the fraudster and force her to own up.
He said: "One of the very first victims to make an allegation had CCTV at her home, which showed a clear image of Simmons, so we knew from an early stage she was probably behind these scams.
"The difficulty in this case for us was locating and arresting Simmons, but we eventually caught up with her and due to the weight of evidence against her, she had little choice but to admit to the offences."
Police are investigating ten further allegations of fraud and are encouraging any more victims to come forward.
DC Barefoot said: "Victims in this sort of scam often feel embarrassed, having fallen foul of the con, so we think that there could be even more victims that haven't come forward. We would urge anyone who has been a victim of this kind of scam to contact police or Action Fraud with the details."
Two of Simmons' victims spoke to the Advertiser last May, before she had been identified.
Robin and Margaret Broadbent, of Highbarrow Road, Addiscombe, were fast asleep when the woman now known to be Simmons knocked on their door and said her son had been stabbed and she needed to get to King's College Hospital. They gave her £40.
Mr Broadbent, 74, said shortly after the incident on April 24: "It was a very shocking thing to have happened, and we were so sleepy and disorientated it was very easy for her to get money off us."
To contact police, call 101 or call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
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Crystal Palace: Aaron Wilbraham thanks Tony Pulis after leaving the club
AARON WILBRAHAM has revealed he has known about his departure from Palace "for the last few months" after it was announced on Wednesday he was being released by the Eagles.
The 34-year-old is on the lookout for a new club together with Jonathan Parr, Danny Gabbidon and Dean Moxey. who were also released.
However, Wilbraham says boss Tony Pulis is helping him find new employers ahead of pre-season in July, and the striker has thanked the manager for keeping him involved "until the end".
"I have known I was leaving for the last few months, but the gaffer has been really good with me," Wilbraham revealed.
"Obviously I didn't play a lot last season and I knew I was down the pecking order a bit, and when you're in that position you don't expect to be given a new contract if you're not playing week in, week out.
"The manager has thanked me for being around the place and he says he's going to help me all he can with other clubs.
"He has told me there have been a lot of clubs ringing up about me and he's going to put in positive words.
"I have been around football long enough. I'm 35 this year but the gaffer has been really good about it.
"He kept me part of the squad until the end and I've really enjoyed my time at Palace.
"Being involved in the play-offs last season and helping the club get into the Premier League, I've enjoyed being around the place."
Along with Pulis, Wilbraham's agent is also busy trying to secure a contract for his client, and the veteran has hinted he would like to join a club who are likely to be in the hunt for promotion.
"There have been a few clubs who have been offering me deals," he said. "It's all right them speaking about it and showing interest but until a contract is down on the table, I don't usually take any notice of it.
"My agent is speaking to people at the moment and he seems quite positive.
"It's just what's best for me and my family really. I am getting to that age now where I want to be settled with my family, so it's looking for the best options for me.
"I just want to play football and be involved in maybe another promotion push if I can. I have been involved in two promotions to the Premier League in the last four years."
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easyJet owner decides not to open East Croydon food store
THE founder of easyJet says he will not be opening a budget food store in the former Metlife building after being advised by Croydon Council it may struggle to get planning permission.
But Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is pressing ahead with plans for offices and a hotel at the site in East Croydon, including a temporary mock-up food store on the first floor.
His spokesman said Sir Stelios's easyGroup companies are still considering opening a budget food store elsewhere in Croydon, as well as looking at other areas such as Peckham, Catford and Woolwich.
Spokesman Richard Shackleton said the council had advised at the outset the food store may struggle with planning permission due to its size, location, and council zoning policies. He added: "At that point we just walked away from it."
Plans for a gym at the site have also been dropped, given the company has opened a gym in nearby Thornton Heath, Mr Shackleton added.
The company hopes to open its easyHotel on the top four floors of the building in late summer or early autumn, with roughly 110 rooms.
Managed office space on the lower floors is due to be "marketed imminently," Mr Shackleton added, saying the company would consider a longer-term let.
The planned mock-up food store on the ground floor will be used to conduct market research, with focus groups invited to test the products, mainly packaged and tinned foods and basics such as washing-up powder.
Sir Stelios bought the building, in Addiscombe Road, last year, saying he wanted to enter the budget food business to help people in need.
He explained at the time: "My interest in the food retailing business was sparked by recent press stories covering the widespread use of food banks by the needy and my own experience with the 'food from the heart' charitable programme operated by my philanthropic foundation in Cyprus.
"I have a feeling that there is a gap in the food retail market – a niche below some of the current budget operators such as Aldi and Lidl.
"Concentrating on affordable, basic 'no-brand-name' packet and tinned foods at bargain prices, easyFoodstore underlines the need for additional reliable day-to-day provision of basic foodstuffs."
A spokesman for Croydon Council said pre-application discussions were confidential, confirming that no formal planning application for the food store had been made.
He said the council had granted permission for floors four and five to be used as a hotel and was assessing a further application to use floors six and seven for a hotel.
The office space does not need permission as there is no change of use.
New Croydon Council leader pledges a 'cleaner and greener' borough
PROMISES to clean up Croydon, tackle antisocial behaviour and be a "council for everyone" were a hit with voters and steered Labour to victory in last week's elections, new council leader Tony Newman has said.
Labour won 40 of the council's 70 seats, with the remainder going to the Tories.
But as the dust settles on the celebrations, Cllr Newman and his group get down to the nitty-gritty next week of transforming ambitions into reality.
The first step on that road will come on Wednesday when, after being formally elected as leader at Tuesday's annual meeting, Cllr Newman will get his first look at the council's books.
He told the Advertiser this week that while he did not underestimate the fact the council was going to have to make some tough financial decisions in the coming years, there was a will and an ability to deliver on the main planks of Labour's manifesto.
The defeated Tories are claiming cuts amounting to £100 million are on the cards over the next four years as the Government continues to reduce council budgets.
They are also saying the cost of implementing Labour's programme will run out at £27 million. Both figures were treated with a fair degree of scepticism by Cllr Newman.
He said: "Governments can change and we will be looking for cross-support to renew efforts to get more grants for Croydon.
"In many ways we are an Inner London borough which is only receiving Outer London support."
But he admitted: "There will be costs involved in getting rid of fly-tipping and street cleaning. Equally, though, this will be about how we deploy resources.
"As an example, obviously the high streets will need cleaning more frequently than a quiet cul-de-sac. It is a question of priorities."
But he made it plain this would not be a matter of concentrating resources in the north of the borough at the expense of the leafy and quieter south.
Cllr Newman said: "I would hope across the borough will be cleaned properly. Fly-tipping is unacceptable both in Kenley and Upper Norwood."
He also believes the problem can be reduced by the council taking a more pro-active role in prosecuting; again through a better use of existing resources.
As part of its intention to be a council for all Croydon, Cllr Newman stressed the importance of engaging with business and protecting the billions of pounds of investment being lined up.
That ties in, he said, with Labour's commitments to bring more jobs to the borough and ensure the benefits from developments like Westfield/Hammerson filter down across the borough, helping district centres.
He said: "We are going to set up a business forum where developers and investors can sit down with us at least four times a year to make sure we are all batting for Croydon."
Cllr Newman is also convinced that Labour's commitment to new housing schemes containing 30 per cent affordable homes will not put developers off.
He said that while the council would have to take a tougher line with developers, he was confident the upturn in the global economy and lower land values in Croydon would continue to make the borough an attractive option for investment.
He said: "Croydon still has huge untapped potential and I believe it has been punching beneath its weight up to now."
Returning to future financing, Cllr Newman said all aspects of spending would go under the microscope.
He seems to accept Labour is saddled with its bête noire, the new Bernard Weatherill House HQ.
But he said: "I am waiting to look at the books but I have heard the building is underused."
He held up the prospect of moving staff within the building and freeing up two floors to rent out, for extra cash.
Also on the re-examination list is a detailed look at the contract for building an incinerator on the Croydon/Sutton border.
Cllr Newman said concerns remained that pulling out of the contract could cost millions of pounds in penalty payments.
In addition, the council will look at reducing dramatically the outlay on consultants; reducing outsourcing in favour of keeping services in-house; becoming a living wage council, including council contractors in that ambition; and also checking the £36 million cost of refurbishing Fairfield Halls, in the belief a good job could be done cheaper.
All this ambition will be achieved, Cllr Newman said, with greater openness, fewer discussions behind closed doors, more effective scrutiny and webcasting of council meetings.
Cllr Newman said: "I am proud of what we achieved in the election campaign.
"It was a genuine doorstep campaign and our ambitions clearly resonated with voters."
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Westfield development to omit word 'Croydon'?
THE partnership behind the £1 billion regeneration of Croydon has refused to confirm whether the word "Croydon" will be in the name of the new development.
The Advertiser understands there is a strong possibility the name of Westfield and Hammerson's new shopping centre may not include the town's name.
The suggestion is that it may become Westfield South London, in a similar fashion to the Australian retail giant's development in Shepherd's Bush, Westfield London.
But there are also suggestions the new shopping centre could retain a link to the town's heritage by being called Westfield Whitgift.
A spokesman for Westfield/Hammerson categorically denied a name had been chosen for the new centre but would not be drawn on whether the word 'Croydon' would be included.
Jeremy Frost, chairman of the Croydon branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, said the town's name should definitely be included but admitted he doubted whether this would be the case.
He added: "They might think it will be detrimental on a national level to have the word Croydon in it.
"They are going to take a purely commercial decision.
"If they thought that by calling it Westfield Timbuktu instead of calling it Westfield Croydon they would get one more customer through the doors, then they would call it that.
"I think they quite feasibly could call it Westfield South London and I think that would be a massive shame because a lot of people are getting very, very miffed about everyone outside of the town doing it down.
"If Westfield is going to come here, then they should be proud to be here."
Advertiser readers almost all suggested Westfield Croydon when asked what their preferred name would be.
Weronika Pomiechowska, 17, from Shirley, said: "It should be called Westfield Croydon because it will help change the negative perception of the town and help to make it better known."
But Annabel Fogden, general manager of the Croydon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, does not believe it would be a disaster if the development did not have the town's name in it.
She said: "It is an interesting one because we want to put Croydon on the map. It would be good to have Croydon in the name and it would make sense.
"But I think the name of the development doesn't have to carry the name Croydon with it as long as it is something that will be associated with Croydon when people hear about it.
"Westfield Whitgift would be quite nice because that would remind everyone of the history of the area and keep the Croydon link."