A jobless man has been jailed one year by Kowloon City Magistracy for swindling $40,000 in gold ornaments from a woman by posing as a policeman.

Wellsy Pun, 46, pleaded guilty to obtaining property by deception today.

In 2000, he falsely represented to a woman and her daughter that he was a police officer attached to Kowloon West Regional Crime Unit. He had on occasions been seen carrying a gun-like object on his waist. Pun then became the boyfriend of the woman's daughter and later moved in to live with them.

The court heard that between March 2001 and October 2004, Pun borrowed $314,900 to $324,900 from the woman. She was also misled into giving the defendant some gold ornaments, worth up to $40,000, for sale and he took the proceeds as a loan. So far, he has repaid the woman $4,000.