A MAN who duped people out of thousands of pounds by offering bogus legal advice in a Whittlesey pub has been jailed.

Law graduate Marious Pimm, 42, falsely claimed to be a barrister and offered help to a bankrupt plumber and a woman going through a divorce.

He took cheques totalling �4,000 in relation to the bankruptcy and pocketed more than �1,000 for ‘work’ chasing up a debt connected with divorce proceedings.

During a trial at Peterborough Crown Court, the jury heard Pimm met potential clients in The Boat Inn pub and would often discuss ongoing cases.

Pimm, of Crescent Road, Whittlesey, denied two charges of fraud but was convicted following the trial.

He was jailed for 12 months last Thursday.

Detective Constable Mark Yendley, who led the investigation, said: “Pimm used his knowledge gleaned from studies at Lincoln University to fool people into thinking he was a qualified solicitor.

“A lot of people in Whittlesey were upset to discover they had been taken in by his lies and are pleased he has now been brought to justice.”

In court Pumm had protested his innocence, claiming he had never described himself as a barrister.

He admitted he had banked two cheques totalling �4,000 but claimed the money was owed to him.

One legal affairs website said that Pimm “managed to side-step the trivial issue of qualifications with some smooth talking and convincing quips about barristers wigs being ‘itchy’.

“We’re not sure Pimm is the best advertisement for Lincoln University – where, incidentally, he won a 2:2 – but at least he was consistent in his Mitty-esque fantasies. “According to Michael Magee, prosecuting at Peterborough Crown Court, Pimm had lied about his qualifications not just to the pub but to his partner at home, too.”