A British judge has sentenced a fraudster to three and a half years in jail after he tricked an elderly woman into paying him for a fake coronavirus vaccine jab.

Crown court judge Hannah Finch described 33-year-old David Chambers's actions as “shameful and despicable”, according to AFP.

Chambers knocked on the victim's door in Surbiton, west London, on December 30, 2020, claiming to work for the state-run National Health Service (NHS), according to police.

The woman let him into her home, where he jabbed her in the arm with a “dart-like implement” before asking her to pay £140, which he said would be refunded by the NHS.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

THE FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth ...
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...