An YORK pensioner was conned out of £6,000 shortly before he died, a court heard.

Edwin Burnett had agreed a price of £70 with two workmen for some work on his guttering and roof.

Mr Burnett started writing out a cheque for that amount, but then the phone rang and he went out of the room to answer it, leaving the unfinished cheque with the two men.

The two crooks then took advantage of the call to grab an uncompleted cheque, said prosecutor Alan Mitcheson. Then they handed it to Michael Patrick Hart, 23, to launder it through his bank account so they could get £6,000 out of Mr Burnett's account.

Mr Burnett, who was in his early eighties, died before Hart could be brought to justice.

The money launderer stood alone in the dock at York Crown Court.

Recorder Timothy Roberts QC told Hart: "If this court had evidence that you were present at the deception of this 80-year-old, jointly tricking him out of £6,000, you would have been going to prison for three years.

"You have been involved on the fringe of an extremely serious offence and the concern of this court is to make sure you are not sucked any deeper into that vortex."

He gave Hart a 12-month prison sentence, but suspended it for two years because Hart had spent 84 days in prison on remand, and for other reasons.

Hart must also carry out 140 hours unpaid work, complete 12 months supervision and a probation rehabilitation course.

The prosecution did not ask for him to pay compensation due to the fact that Mr Burnett has died.

Hart, of York Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to money laundering and failure to answer police bail.

Hart had put the altered cheque through his account and the stolen money was immediately withdrawn. He pleaded guilty on the basis that he did not know where the cheque had come from.

West Yorkshire Police investigated him in connection with similar offences in the Wakefield area, but he was not charged with them.

For Hart, James Robinson said he was not involved in tricking Mr Burnett and he had the capacity to be a useful member of society.