A woman has been jailed for more than two and a half years after she was part of an Organised Crime Gang that scammed people out of cash and jewellery worth £416,000.

Leonnie Charles, 23, from Eastgate Court, Reading, was jailed today (Thursday, April 3) for a total of 32 months at Winchester Crown Court after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

Between February and September 2021, the group, which operated from the Reading area, targeted elderly people across a number of counties.

The group attempted to scam at least 42 people – with an average age of 78 – with the oldest being 90 and the youngest aged 57.

They managed to get money and expensive jewellery from 27 victims living in Hampshire, London, Surrey, Kent and Sussex. The total amount received was £116,000 in cash, while two victims gave them jewellery estimated to be worth a minimum of £300,000.

Officers from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Economic Crime Investigation Team launched an investigation and arrested members of the Organised Crime Gang.

In January, three men were jailed for a total of 12 years and 20 months at Salisbury Crown Court for their involvement in the scam. Read more about the case, and crime prevention advice, at: https://tinyurl.com/men-jailed-cash-jewellery.