A fraudster has been spared jail for taking £3,500 from an elderly woman from Essex who withdrew the cash on the orders of fake police officers.

Asad Arshad was part of a scam to defraud the 88-year-old out of her entire bank balance last January.

Arshad, 20, had been due to stand trial in August, but appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday, having changed his plea, to admit one count of fraud by false representation.

The court heard how Arshad, Ashburton Avenue, Ilford, took a £121 taxi journey to the victim's address in Maldon, to pick the money up on the afternoon of January 9 last year.

Hours earlier, the victim, who lived alone, received a call from an individual purporting to represent Romford police, claiming the woman's carer had been arrested for withdrawing £5,000 from her account and replacing the cash with fake notes.

When the victim disclosed that she had only £3,500 in her account, the caller instructed her to withdraw everything, adding that she would be rewarded with £500 for her assistance.

The victim then followed further instructions to call back and keep the landline connected while she travelled by taxi to withdraw the cash at her local bank branch, where she continued to follow orders by telling staff the money was for a second hand car.

On her return, she was told to recite the serial numbers of some of the notes, before being informed four out of five were counterfeit and that someone would visit to collect the cash.

Later, while Arshad was on the woman's doorstep, a police patrol car passed the waiting taxi.

Officers noted the London vehicle number, spoke to the driver and waited until Arshad appeared, walking nervously towards the cab, before throwing the cash in a bush and attempting to run away.

At the time, he was subject to a community order for dangerous driving.

Ali Saqib, mitigating, said Arshad had since completed a business diploma and found work.

He said proceedings had been a wake-up call and that Arshad intended to turn his life around.

Recorder Jeremy Benson sentenced him to 12 months' custody, suspended for two years, with 180 hours of unpaid work and 35 days' rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was ordered to pay costs of £1,200 and compensation of £300 to the victim.