A ROGUE window cleaner who burgled customers and let others down has been given a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.

Homeless David Green, 43, admitted four counts of fraud for taking money for cleaning windows from Swindon householders and failing to fulfill his obligations between December 2008 and March 2009.

At Bristol Crown Court yesterday, Green admitted another three counts of fraud between August 2007 and September 2008, three burglaries and one count of theft, all in the Bristol and Somerset area.

He also asked for a 147 offences from Bristol and 124 from Swindon to be taken into consideration, consisting of fraud, burglary, attempted burglary and theft.

Sally Thompson, prosecuting, said Green would offer householders a three, six or 12-month deal for cleaning their windows on a monthly basis asking for payment up front but after a couple of visits would not be seen again.

The court was told that Green was eventually traced through his white van.

Ms Thompson said he told police that the money paid for his drink and drugs addiction. She said he also had two previous convictions in Swindon for similar offences.

She outlined three Bristol burglaries between July and October 2009, in which Green had used a tradesman’s identity to gain access to people’s homes.

Victims of his burglaries included an 87-year-old woman to whom he posed as a builder then took cash and cheques, which he used to withdraw £6,000. On another occasion an 84-year-old woman was targeted by Green posing as a window cleaner and had cash, cards and jewellery taken.

Christopher Smyth said in mitigation that drug tests on his client proved he was now drug free and that he had completed a drug rehabilitation programme.

Mr Smyth said he had also cooperated fully with the police and given them details of where he committed offences.

He said: “It makes it fairly clear he was attempting to wipe the slate clean.

“Whether it’s the drink, drugs, depression, the gambling, whatever it was it has got on top of him.

“He dropped out of his normal life and committed offences to keep himself going.”

Judge Michael Roach said: “You were given a community order and here you are doing it again.

“What is particularly unpleasant is these distraction burglaries where at least two elderly people were relieved of their property.

“It’s to your credit that you have worked hard in prison to sort yourself out, but clearly the custodial threshold has been crossed.”

Green was given an 18-month sentence for each burglary to run concurrently, six months for each of the Bristol frauds to run concurrently to each other but consecutive to the main sentence, six months for each of the frauds in Swindon to run concurrently to each other but consecutively, and two months concurrently for the theft. The 170 days already spent in custody will be deducted.

Justin Tomlinson, Abbey Meads councillor and Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for North Swindon, was one of Green’s victims.

He was targeted by Green in February last year when he offered window cleaning and work to gutters.

Although the guttering was done and £99 paid, Tomlinson said the windows were never cleaned.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted justice has been served.Working with the local residents we helped to provide the evidence needed.”