A bogus workman who conned vulnerable people out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has been ordered to repay £150,000.

Patrick Young, 59, was jailed for eight years and nine months in 2015 after pleading guilty to multiple charges of fraud along with attempted fraud and extortion.

Over the course of four years between 2009 and 2013, he defrauded 12 victims - most of them elderly - out of almost £400,000.

Young, of Perthshire, operated a business called Black Diamond Building to target vulnerable householders. He would then pressure, and in one case threaten, his victims to part with thousands of pounds.

One 79-year-old widow paid £132,000 over two-and-a-half years, for work that was only valued at £58,000.

In another case, Young took nearly £173,000 from a 75-year-old man for work that was worth £62,000.

He also defrauded £4000 from an 83-year-old woman before attempting to obtain a further £30,000.

Whilst passing sentence at the High Court in Paisley, Lord Matthews stated: "I have taken account of all the circumstances including everything said on your behalf and the contents of the report.

"It is somewhat alarming that, according to the report at least, you show no real insight into the serious nature of your conduct and I cannot detect any real expression of remorse, although it is fair to say that you tendered pleas of guilty.

"Despite your lack of any meaningful record, it is obvious that a substantial custodial sentence is required to reflect the extent of your offending."

At the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, a confiscation order for £150,000 was granted against Young and will be paid as compensation to his victims.

Jennifer Harrower, Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework, said: "Young unscrupulously targeted vulnerable and often elderly people and used fraudulent means to line his own pockets with hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"This should serve as a warning to all criminals. We will not stop at prosecution. We will use the laws available to us to ensure money obtained through crime is confiscated from those who do not deserve it and reinvested into the community."