A CON artist who accidentally became one of Britain's most wanted men has been jailed for deception.

Raymond Price, 59, specialised in cheating kind-hearted members of the public.

He toured the south claiming his car had broken down and he needed cash for his train fare home.

Price promised to send the money back to his victims, taking their names and addresses, but they never heard from him again.

But when he committed offences in Worthing he came under suspicion by murder squad detectives involved in the hunt for the killer of pensioner Jean Barnes.

His description was circulated nationwide and his pictured was issued to the media and was shown on Crimewatch.

Price, of no fixed address, gave himself up to police at Heathrow.

He was quickly ruled out of the murder investigation and another man has since been charged with the murder of Miss Barnes.

But yesterday Price was jailed for 18 months at Chichester Crown Court after admitting 13 charges of deception and asking for another 162 to be taken into consideration.

Beverley Cherrill, prosecuting, said Price gave his victims a false name and borrowed sums ranging from £7 to £20 for his bogus train fare.

Mrs Cherrill said some people even went to cashpoints because they wanted to help him.

The court was told Price had previous convictions dating back to the early 1950s.

Warwick Tatford, defending, said Price had not seen his own photograph on television but went to the police when he heard rumours he was wanted.

He said that between 1973 and 1986 Price had kept out of trouble because he was a talented painter and ran an art gallery in Rye selling his own work, but the business collapsed when his marriage broke up.

Mr Tatford said Price was painting again in prison and hoped to make a living again from art.

Judge Anthony Thorpe told Price he hoped that he would use his artistic abilities to keep out of trouble in the future.

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