A callous conman who duped Huddersfield pensioners out of £300,000 was recognised by an eagle-eyed Examiner reader from a very different tale.

Shameless heroin addict Omar Arshad, 40, was jailed on Monday for his crocodile tear scams to fund his drugs habit.

The Springwood fraudster told one pensioner his child had died of TB and he needed cash for the funeral.

But Arshad is no stranger to making headlines, after the Examiner reported in December how he told a town centre bar manager he was homeless.

Arshad walked into Five Bar on Cross Church Street a month before Christmas asking about jobs.

Taking pity, manager Louie Cooper took the conman to the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice charity shop and bought him a suit.

Louie Cooper, 22, is the Huddersfield bar manager who helped homeless Omar Arshad find work by buying him a suit
Louie Cooper, 22, is the Huddersfield bar manager who helped homeless Omar Arshad find work by buying him a suit

The next day, Arshad claimed he was given a job by a takeaway on the same street.

He told at the time how Louie’s selfless act had turned his life around.

The tale saved one Edgerton resident from falling victim to his scam when she recognised him from the story.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said Arshad had asked her for bus money to visit his daughter in hospital.

She said: “I was bothered by this man a few months ago, knocking on my door and spinning a tale about why he needed money.

“I remembered a previous story about a kind young man buying a guy an outfit for interviews from a charity shop, so I checked the Examiner’s website - and there he was, Omar Arshad smiling and shaking hands with yet another victim of his scams!

Fraudster Omar Arshad who has been jailed for 7 years

“I feel sad that this man has been able to con people out of so much money and, without the Examiner’s story and photos that I could check online, maybe I would have fallen for his spiel.”

Arshad was jailed for seven years on Monday at Leeds Crown Court after it was heard he told local pensioners a string of lies to get their sympathy and almost £300,000 cash.

Arshad, of Queen Elizabeth Gardens, admitted three counts of fraud.