A man who was arrested miles from his Midland’s home told jurors he didn’t know any of his three co-accused in a ‘courier fraud’ trial before driving to the North East.

Awais Zaman accepted that he drove his Audi from Coventry to Darlington when two vulnerable pensioners were targeted by a gang of fraudsters, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 23-year-old denied being involved in the conspiracy to fleece pensioners out of thousands of pounds in cash and Rolex watches.

Giving evidence during his trial, Zaman told jurors that he did know another of the suspected fraudsters, who is still on the run, and denied knowing they had been impersonating police officers in a series of phone calls to their alleged victims.

Read more: Man accused of ripping off vulnerable OAPs in Darlington appears in court

His barrister, George Hazel-Owram, quizzed his client about his movements in the three trips he made to the North East and Yorkshire in September 2020.

He asked: “At any stage prior to being arrested did you know these journeys were linked to the impersonation of police officers and taking large sums of cash from people?”

Zaman replied: “I did not.”

The defendant accepted that he drove his co-accused Mya Haskins to Darlington when a pensioner handed over a wad of cash to the teenager.

Mr Hazel Owram asked Zaman about Haskins’ claims that they had been in a fledgling relationship and told her the codename used to picked up the cash from the pensioner claiming that he was his grandfather.

Zaman replied: “No, I did not.”

Earlier in the trial, jurors had heard how the pensioner had been given a codeword to listen out for before handing the cash over the fake officer to be deposited into a safe account.

Matthew Bean, prosecuting, said digital data recovered from the car, which had been hired by Mitchell, showed the vehicle parked up near to the pensioner's home at the time the cash was handed over.

Police analysis of mobile phone networks also showed the accused had also been in contact with one of her co-accused, Arris Qumar, after she made the return journey to the capital in September 2020.

The victims were telephoned over a number of days by men claiming to be Fraud Squad officers from the Yard who told them that their bank accounts had been compromised, and to replace the receiver and to call 999.

But the scammers had kept the line open, and the victims were then in the hands of fake officers who told them to empty their bank accounts and hand the money over to police couriers for it to be deposited in new safe bank accounts.

Zaman, and 26-year-old Arris Qumar, both from Coventry; Sheronica Davis Mitchell, 26, from Lewisham, London; and 25-year-old Haskins from Rugby; have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to dishonestly make false representation to make gain for themselves.

The trial continues.

Read next: