A CAMBRIDGESHIRE farmer travelled all the way to Heathrow Airport with £18,000 in cash believing he had won the Spanish lottery - only to be duped by an Edmonton conman.

Richard Brooks, 43, handed over the cash to Nigerian Julius Ejiogu, 46, who claimed to be a diplomat.

But police caught up with Ejiogu at his home in Statham Grove, Upper Edmonton, after he fled with the money. At the house police found £5,000 of Mr Brooks' money.

Ejiogu admitted a charge of obtaining cash by deception and was jailed for 12 months at Isleworth Crown Court.

Prosecutor Peter Lancaster said Mr Brooks, who lives in Huntingdon, had received a letter saying he had won the Spanish lottery - known as El Gordo, or the big one.

The letter said Mr Brooks was to meet Ejiogu at Heathrow on December 20 last year with the £18,000 - supposedly tax against his winnings.

Without apparently considering whether or not he had even bought a ticket for the Spanish lottery, Mr Brooks made a dash for Heathrow.

According to counsel at the court, Mr Brooks "met the defendant, who was wearing a badge suggesting he was a South African diplomat".

Ejiogu took the cash from Mr Brooks and said he was going to check it in a part of the airport reserved for diplomats.

But he left the airport with the money.

Ejiogu was arrested a few days later and admitted the £5,000 was part of the money. The rest was not found.

Jailing Ejiogu, Judge Patricia Dangor said: "You rely on people's stupidity, greed and gullibility in order to relieve them of their money.

"You also rely on the fact you look a very dignified person and you duped this man into thinking you were a diplomat and then walked off with his money.

"It was a despicable act, preying on the vulnerabilities of people."