Hampshire conman scammed train passengers out of cash by pretending he had poorly baby in hospital

Antony Loveridge preyed on passengers on trains on the south coast, conning eight people out of a total of £212.

In each case the 30-year-old would make sure passengers heard him crying and speaking on the phone.

During these calls he would loudly claim he had a premature son in hospital and needed money for charity accommodation, so he could sleep close by.

Among other lies Loveridge also claimed he was homeless, had lost his job and said his partner had falsely undergone surgery days earlier.

Each of his victims gave him money in the hope he would use it for accommodation.

He was arrested after he gave his name and phone number to a victim, and was traced by police.

Loveridge, of Kendal Avenue in Southampton, has since been jailed for two years.

Concerned victims discovered they had been conned when they called the accommodation and asked after Loveridge, with some offering more money or criticising the charity for not doing more to help his family.

They were told he was never staying at their accommodation and this was a common scam he used.

After his arrest, officers discovered he did have a son who had been born prematurely many months before he started his scamming spree – but the boy’s condition was never considered life-threatening and he had been discharged from hospital.

The boy is no longer under Loveridge’s care.

During police interview he admitted he had used the scams, carried out between September 2018 and October 2019, to fuel a drug habit.

He pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud and was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday January 8.

British Transport Police PC Jeremy Adlam said: ‘He used his experience of having a premature baby to bolster a series of lies, crying loudly and broadcasting them throughout train carriages in hopes he would tug at someone’s heartstrings and push them to hand over money.

‘It’s a credit to the victims that they tried to help Loveridge and I hope this experience won’t stop them being as charitable in the future.

‘It’s a huge shame that someone would use a powerful and emotive lie, such as an ill child, to con caring people. It’s appalling, and I believe this is reflected in his sentence.’