A conman who cheated more than 40 old people out of thousands of pounds has skipped bail and gone on the run.

Mark Baker, 45, failed to appear Canterbury Crown Court in May for a fraud trial and was convicted in his absence.

Baker and his co-defendants cheated more than 40 people out of cash with a building scam across Kent and the south east.

Detectives spent more than two years investigating the case.

Baker, who uses the alias Martin Johnson, is from Caterham in Surrey, but also has connections in south London and Glasgow.

He is due to be sentenced on July 7 and anyone with information can call Det Sgt Tristan Kluibenschadl at Kent Police on 01622 690690.