A CARLISLE Crown Court judge is to deal with the case of an alleged conman who denies defrauding four people in north Cumbria out of £47,000.

Sam Beaton, 40, formally entered not guilty pleas to the allegations when he appeared before the city’s Rickergate court via a video link from his home.

The four charges he faces allege that he made “false representations,” taking money from people for services that he never intended to supply.

The prosecution alleges that the offences were committed against four different people between January 2021 and July of the same year at Wigton.

The charge does not specify what goods and services were allegedly offered.

After legal discussions between defence and prosecution lawyers at Carlisle's Rickergate court, magistrates sent the case to the crown court for a case management hearing.

This has been scheduled to take place on July 24. In the meantime, Beaton, whose address was given as Guilford Street, Luton,  was granted unconditional bail.