'Conman' beggar earns 50k pounds a year from begging

A beggar in London, who claimed to be homeless and hungry, was found to be living in a 300,000-pound-flat and raking in more than 50,000 pounds-a-year.

Simon Wright used to get sit in ragged old clothes outside a NatWest bank and was accompanied by his dog, a sleeping bag and a handwritten sign that detailed his "plight," the Daily Express reported

The 37-year-old earned up to 300-dollars-a-day from passers-by in Putney High Street, south-west London and had a smart council flat in Simms Court, Fulham High Street.

The cheating came to light, when locals started becoming suspicious about the amount of coins he was getting changed in bookmakers, amusement shops and at Greggs the bakers.

Wimbledon Magistrates have imposed a 2-year Anti Social Behaviour Order on Wright after he admitted to fraud and begging.

The order now bans him from asking for alms anywhere in London and from entering the Putney SW15 postal area at all.