A WEYMOUTH man has been handed a suspended prison sentence for his part in a fraud that saw a couple lose their life savings.

Anthony Callum Orr, aged 25, appeared at Dorchester Crown Court after admitting a charge of converting criminal property.

The court was told that a couple from Lichfield in Staffordshire had seen more than £200,000 taken out of a bank account in Cyprus that was to be used to buy a property there.

The money was transferred from the account, with one payment of 46,000 US dollars (around £26k) being made to Orr’s account on May 13.

Prosecutor David Jenkins said the funds were transferred out to various other accounts online and withdrawn from cashpoint machines in London.

Orr, of Culliford Way, was arrested in connection with the investigation and told police that at the time he had faced losing his home and was in need of money.

He said a friend knew of someone who would pay him £1,000 for allowing his bank account to be used.

Orr refused to name the friend or the person who used the account.

Mr Jenkins said that although Orr’s role in the offence was limited, it helped to enable the crime to be committed.

He said: “His is a lesser role but nonetheless significant because without his bank account the fraud couldn’t have been perpetrated.”

Michael Standing, mitigating, said his client was a man of previous good character who has been in a ‘desperate situation’.

He said that because of rent arrears and various other debts his family home was threatened with repossession and although he was in work, it was unlikely to last for much longer.

Mr Standing said: “It’s a sad state of affairs that he finds himself in front of the court having made, on his own admission, some very bad decisions.

“There was some realisation that this was likely to be criminal activity.”

He added: “He accepts that this was not the correct way to go about this but the money was offered and he felt at the time he had no option.”

Mr Standing added that Orr never actually received any payment for his part in the offence.

Judge Jonathan Fullertold the defendant: “Without somebody like you letting your bank account be used fraudsters can’t get the proceeds of crime.”

The judge also said Orr had not ‘helped his situation’ by disclosing the names of those involved in the offence.

He sentenced Orr to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and imposed 180 hours of unpaid work in the community.