A devoutly religious Army veteran who was part of a gang that tricked thousands of pounds out of the elderly has failed to win a reduction in his jail sentence.

Christopher Deans, 60, of Latimer Road, Eastbourne, helped leave pensioners across Kent, Sussex and Surrey out of pocket.

The Court of Appeal heard the former soldier deeply regretted what he had done and made a public apology through his church, expressing his "shame and disgust".

The appeal judges were told the obese asthmatic is in poor health but had served his country with distinction.

But they refused to cut his sentence.

Mr Justice Pitchford, sitting with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, and Mr Justice Douglas Brown, told the court Deans had given evidence at his trial while his co-accused remained silent, had and did not make a credible witness.

"It is our view the sentence of four years was entirely appropriate," concluded the judge.

He said elderly people across the South-East were approached by cowboy builders and charged large amounts of money for sub-standard or non-existent repairs.

To add insult to injury, they were then told they had to pay outstanding VAT by men posing as government officials.

Mr Justice Pitchford said there was no evidence which put Deans on people's doorsteps but he was the man responsible for paying in the cheques from the VAT fraud between January 2000 and March 2001 and many of them were made out to him.

Although the 10 victims, who parted with more than £100,000, were refunded what they lost or had their cheques stopped in time, Mr Justice Pitchford said Deans had committed an "offensive course of conduct".