A pair of elderly casino conmen who spent two decades defrauding roulette tables around the world have been handed suspended sentences at Southwark crown court.

Francesco Baioni, 64, of Primrose Hill, and Frank Camilleri, 61, of Beckenham, were caught using fake identities in a bid to gain membership to London casinos where they had been barred.

They admitted 19 offences including possession of false identity documents and fraud, and  were banned from every casino in the UK for five years. Gaming industry chiefs and police were said to be surprised at the sentences.

Part of an international gang they targeted gaming houses in China, Australia and the US as well as London. Their con was a simple one, once the ball had settled on the roulette wheel one would cough, spill a drink while the other would move table chips onto the winning spot.

The court heard how, having been barred by all major UK casino operators for cheating, they used false Italian ID to get back in and commit further offences.

Photo: Wikipedia