Two men have been ordered to work a total of 370 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to fraud offences against vulnerable people, including in Reigate.

Mark Packham, 34, of Chetwode Road, Tadworth, was ordered to work 180 hours, pay compensation of £1,000 and to pay a victim surcharge of £100, alongside a 12-month sentence suspended for 24 months. This followed an incident in Kingswood where he fraudulently obtained £2,395 from a woman in her 70s for unnecessary garden work.

Packham also worked with 22-year-old Charlie Eagle of Long Walk in Epsom to defraud another lady in her 70s of £1,500 for unnecessary building materials for work they were undertaking at a property in Reigate. For this offence, Packham was ordered to carry out a further 70 hours unpaid work and given an eight month suspended sentence, which will run concurrently. Eagle was sentenced to 120 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £600 towards legal fees and a £60 victim surcharge.

Both men were sentenced at Guildford Crown Court last week.

Investigating officer PC Helen Simon, said: "I welcome the sentences handed to Packham and Eagle and hope they send out a message to those thinking of defrauding vulnerable members of society.”

PC Simon said: "The harsher sentence imposed on Packham shows that he was the mastermind behind these offences, as he was working for the victims at the time the crimes were committed.”

She added: "Fraud investigations can be long and complex but we are dedicated to bringing those who target vulnerable people to justice.”