AN EX-POLICE officer has been jailed after he duped two men out of £83,000.
"Walter Mitty" character David Evans conned one victim, from Wollaton, out of his lifesavings of £68,000.
Another victim, who he met in Kent, lost half of his £15,000 comic collection.
At Nottingham Crown Court yesterday, Evans was jailed for two years and four months after he admitted five offences of fraud.
Judge John Milmo QC told the 27-year-old, who squandered some of the cash on gambling: "Quite simply, you are a conman."
Evans was arrested at Heathrow Airport after a £12,000 trip to the Far East with one of the victims.
Evans had lived the "high life" with him and had been looking at factories in which to start a joint business venture manufacturing T-shirts.
The victim was said to be "vulnerable", in his early fifties and living a sheltered life.
As a boy he had attended a special school due to dyslexia and had lived with his parents until they died and he inherited their estate.
He was introduced to Evans by someone who thought the former cop, who left Kent Police due to "honesty issues", could pursue a £10,000 dispute over some comics.
Evans agreed to chase the debt, but said he needed money up front for the "court case".
Once they were friends, the comic collector handed him £20,000 to buy a highly valuable 1950s comic, and sank thousands into the T-shirt business with Evans.
He took out a £25,000 mortgage on his parents previously mortgage-free home.
The fraud was discovered when the men were in the Far East and the victim's family became concerned about his finances.
The Kent victim had given Evans his comic collection to sell on his behalf but never saw a penny back.
Evans, 27, of Romney Road, Chatham, Kent, had been cautioned for theft when he served as a police officer. He failed to account for £200 in a purse handed in.
He also used police identification when he was suspended from duty, and confiscated items from a car boot sale.
Mark Dacey, in mitigation, said Evans went to prison and came out almost a Walter Mitty character – with lots of optimism and ideas.
"Then he destroys everything he had."
