Fraudster who 'cuckooed' vulnerable Warwickshire man's home has sentenced increased
Frankie Maughan spent more than £3,600 of the victim's cash.
Last updated 12th Sep 2024
A "Jekyll and Hyde" fraudster jailed after he robbed and threatened a vulnerable man whose home he "cuckooed" has had his sentence increased by the Court of Appeal.
Frankie Maughan visited his victim's home on a daily basis, and threatened to cut off his hands with a machete unless he gave him his bank card and Pin, judges were told.
The 22-year-old spent more than £3,600 of the victim's cash during a two-month period to fund his lifestyle by paying for food, hotels and taxi journeys.
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) told the court the victim, a man in his 50s who suffered with mobility issues, also saw his home in Rugby, Warwickshire, become "extensively soiled" by Maughan's dog.
It said Maughan's targeting of the victim left him so scared that "he thought he might die" and left a note with his sister's details on it.
Maughan was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment at Warwick Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to robbery and fraud in June.
The AGO referred Maughan's sentence to the Court of Appeal, arguing it was "unduly lenient".
On Thursday, judges increased Maughan's total sentence to four-and-a-half years.
Lord Justice Singh, sitting alongside Mrs Justice May and Mr Justice Griffiths, said: "The victim described how during the incidents he had been scared and could not sleep.
"He thought he was going to get stabbed and killed.
"He described the offender as having a 'Jekyll and Hyde personality, it would just change so quickly'."
Daniel Bishop, representing the AGO, said the original sentence did not take into account the "serious psychological harm" the victim suffered.
The barrister told the court that Maughan visited the victim between April and June 2022.
Written submissions made by the AGO said: "As a result of the offender taking so much money from him, he panicked he would be unable to pay his bills.
"He had been without food and was left short of basic items. He struggled to talk about what happened and he struggled emotionally.
"His sleep is still affected by thoughts of what the offender did to him."
It added: "The incidents had forced the victim out of his home and out of Rugby.
"When the victim visited Rugby, he would visibly shake and say that he feels scared.
"He had lost his happy place, his friends and his independence."
Nick Devine, representing Maughan, said that while "this was a lenient sentence, a light sentence, it was not one that was unduly, or excessively, lenient".
He added: "Maughan was between 19 and 20 years old at the time of the offences being committed and they were all committed in a relatively short period of time, when he was in the throes of drug addiction, which puts the spree of offending into some context."
The court heard Maughan was already serving a 32 month sentence for two counts of wounding/inflicting grievous body harm, and one count of actual bodily harm, when he was sentenced in June.
In extending Maughan's sentence, Lord Justice Singh said that after the victim vacated the property, his sister cleaned the home and found a "handwritten note" that gave his next of kin's details in the event of his death.
The judge added: "She was heartbroken to think that her brother had been so scared during the incidents with the offender that he thought he might die."