Number’s up for the London marathon imposter
A MAN who cheated in the London Marathon after picking up a Scots runner’s lost number has pleaded guilty to fraud.
Stanislaw Skupian, 38, crossed the finish line with legitimate runner Jake Halliday’s race number – 35179.
Skupian was pictured at the end of the 26.2-mile race in April celebrating with a finisher’s medal.
Scotland Yard said Skupian was charged on May 18 and appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on the same day.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed yesterday he pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. The charge says Skupian used a ‘stolen race identifier for the London Marathon’ and crossed the finish line.
It says he intended to make a gain for himself, ‘namely a finisher’s medal and other items associated with completing the London Marathon’.
Skupian, of no fixed address, also admitted three further charges of theft at Heathrow Airport. He has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
Mr Halliday, 28, from Edinburgh, who had been running for charity Bloodwise, did not complete the race after losing his number.
He said yesterday he was unaware that Skupian had pleaded guilty to fraud over the incident and did not want to comment on the case.
Skupian said he spotted the lost number as he neared the finish line, having jumped a barrier to join the race at the 12-mile mark. ‘I had no thoughts of the person whose number it was,’ he told The Sun. ‘I picked it up and held it to my chest as I crossed the line. I was in tears.
‘A woman put the medal around my neck and told me “well done”. I kept kissing it – it was my biggest moment ever.’
A London Marathon spokesman said it would not comment until the end of the legal process.
Onlooker Peter Mowbray, 51, from Blackpool, wrote a Facebook post about the fraud. He said there were rumours at the finish line that somebody had been removed from the course and did not receive his medal because he was not wearing a number.
He then chatted to fellow runners, who identified Mr Halliday. Mr Mowbray said: ‘Running a marathon takes over your life – you think about training, nutrition, avoiding injury, a huge amount of dedication, and that’s before you think about raising money for your charity.
‘For this man to take all the glory and credit for someone else’s hard work and endeavour really makes me question human life. To see this man smiling and posturing with someone else’s medal made me personally very, very angry. I really felt very sick, to be honest.’
Mr Halliday was running with his friend Andrew Keiller, also 28.
They were part of an Edinburgh trio fundraising for Andrew’s girlfriend Emma, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2016.
‘It was my biggest moment ever’