A drug addict tricked a passerby into giving him cash by claiming his daughter and wife had been in an accident and taken to hospital.

Gary David Potter, 33, shouted “You will be rewarded in heaven” as he ran off with the £40 his victim handed over.

He convinced the man to give him money in Cromwell Road, Kingston, on January 15, by handing out his mobile phone number so that they could arrange repayment for the next day.

Potter suggested the victim call his number in front of him so that his old fashioned Nokia phone could be seen ringing, to assure the victim they would be in touch the following day.

But the man was unable to get in touch after he had handed out the two £20 notes.

Potter, who previously lived in Kingston but now of Epsom Road, Sutton, appeared wearing a hoodie and beige trousers at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

His girlfriend sat in the public gallery as he pleaded guilty to charges of fraud by false representation and breach of an antisocial behaviour order.

During sentencing, the courtroom heard how he came running toward the victim and appeared desperate, speaking incoherently as he asked for money to get to Croydon Hospital.

But as he ran off with the cash he called out: “You are a lifesaver. You will be rewarded in heaven.”

Defence counsel Sara Mitchell said: “Mr Potter assures me that he is remorseful of his actions and is very keen to pay the victim the £40.

“Mr Potter has had a longstanding addiction to class A drugs, but he does show great motivation at this stage to address his misuse of drugs.

“He is still using but his using is being reduced all the time.”

Potter, who picks up his dose of methadone every Tuesday morning in the borough, suggested he and his girlfriend were preparing to move to Somerset, but he would carry on with any drug rehabilitation process.

He was given a community order with 12 months supervision and put on a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement.

He was also ordered to pay the victim £40 back within two weeks and a further £60 towards court costs in £10 weekly instalments.