A DUDLEY bank cashier managed to keep a conman occupied for over 30 minutes when tried to withdraw £870 from a "dodgy" £1,400 cheque he presented at her till.

The time spent by the woman at the HSBC bank enabled police officers to get to the scene and arrest Desmond Campbell.

The 37-year-old former drug addict denied fraud but he was convicted by a jury after they retired to consider the evidence at the end of his trial.

Edward Soulsby, prosecuting, said the female cashier immediately suspected Campbell - described as a thief who occasionally possesses drugs - and she was able to employ delaying tactics.

“This experienced cashier was able to stall you for a long time,” Judge Stephen Eyre QC told Campbell at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

He said Campbell was clearly committing the offence on behalf an another and he was the one taking the risk because of CCTV cameras inside the bank.

Oliver Woolhouse, defending Campbell, of Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton, said he had not been convicted of an offence of dishonesty for six years.

He had managed to regain some sort of stability in his life before this offence having been promised £100 if it came off, he concluded Campbell was placed on supervision for 12 months by the judge who said drugs were clearly a feature of his past offending.