A JUDGE spared a serial fraudster who tried to buy a Southampton pub an immediate jail sentence when he appeared before the city crown court.

John Swanborough, 56, of Canberra Towers, Weston, Southampton, admitted five counts of fraud after writing cheques for about £22,500 to buy the leasehold of a pub.

Prosecutor Eleanor Fargin said that at the time he wanted to purchase the Old Thatched House pub in Shirley, Swanborough knew he had no money and the cheques could not be honoured.

Richard Griffiths, defending, said Swanborough had been clinging to the hope money would come through for the purchase but in his heart of hearts he knew it would not.

“Signing the cheques was a stupid thing to do,” he added.

“The pub was never going to be transferred but nobody has lost money out of it.”

The court heard Swanborough first offended in 1974 and most of his offending was fraud related.

But in imposing a 51-week suspended sentence with a 150 hour unpaid work order, Judge Gary Burrell QC recognised he had kept out of trouble for some time, the offences were three years old and he was not in the best of health.