Son pretended to be kidnapped to extort money from parents to pay bills
A 35-year-old Briton pretended he was kidnapped so that he could extort a ransom from his parents.
He asked for £125 (S$255) on top of £1,000 a week.
Alisdair David Swift of Sheffield lied to his mother, Fiona, that he was being held against his will and would not be returned unless she paid them the money.
He told the court that he was desperate for money to pay his gas bills and so, came up with this idea.
Throughout the night, Swift sent his mother a string of messages in June last year explicitly indicating that he had been kidnapped.
Swift subjected his mother to "the most terrifying night of her life", after borrowing almost £7,000 from his parents in just two years.
His mother was so worried that she ended up calling the police for help.
Police found him safely in bed with girlfriend
The next day, the police tracked the phone that was used to send the text messages - and found him in bed with his girlfriend.
Yes, he was safe and sound.
While he denied any knowledge at first, he finally confessed before admitting that he was "living beyond his means".
It was heard in court that Swift's parents have always been giving him money - and even kept a book to keep track of the payments.
In fact, before his scam, he would often change his mobile phone number and would text his parents asking for cash.
He had originally been jailed for 18 months, but the sentence was halved after a High Court appeal - where he stated that the relationship with his parents has since improved.
Source: Mail Online
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