Pair processed £13k refunds on hotel card reader
TWO men walked into a hotel reception in the early hours of the morning, picked up the card machine and processed £13,600 worth of refunds.
Harun Buni and Abdawali Maxamed took the card reader out of sight of CCTV cameras then processed six transactions on two different bank cards.
Sentencing the pair at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Richard Twomlow said: “It was a sophisticated offence, in my view, carefully planned and carefully executed.”
The court heard the incident happened at Bryn Meadows Golf and Spar Hotel in Caerphilly on January 30.
Nuhu Gobir, prosecuting, said staff reviewed the CCTV footage and saw two men approach the reception desk at 5.15am. He said the night porters were working elsewhere and the defendants walked “calmly” through reception and Buni picked up the card machine.
Maxamed was seen to reach into his jacket pocket, take out two bank cards and hand them to his codefendant.
Prosecutors said Buni took the first card, then walked out of view of the camera, into the toilets, followed by Maxamed.
There were six refund transactions in the next three minutes – four of £2,000 and two of £2,800. They returned the card machine to the desk and walked back to the car park.
The matter was reported to Gwent Police and Maxamed was arrested on February 7. He was interviewed at Ystrad Mynach police station and gave a “no comment” interview.
Mr Gobir said Buni went to Acton police station in London on February 14 to ask if he was wanted by the police and also gave a “no comment” interview.
The court heard the transactions were stopped, so there was no loss to the hotel, which is a small, familyrun business.
They said staff and guests were concerned to see police cars outside. They have had to change working patterns to make sure there is always someone at reception.
Buni, 19, from Moyne Place in Ealing, London, and Maxamed, also 19, from Adelaide Road in Southall, London, admitted fraud.
Prosecutors said Buni had three previous offences on his record – two for burglary and one for attempted burglary. The circumstances were similar and also involved targeting card machines.
Buni told a probation officer he was offered the chance to make some money and was told he would need to drive, but did not know what he would be doing.
He stated he was in debt of between £2,000 and £3,000 from parking tickets. Judge Twomlow said his explanation sounded like “utter nonsense”.
William Bebb, for Buni, pointed out that his client handed himself in at the police station.
Maxamed told the probation officer he was expecting to make around £2,000. He accepted he knew what was going to happen, but was not involved in planning it.
Jeffrey Jones, for Maxamed, said his client had no previous convictions.
Buni was sentenced to 14 months’ detention in a young offender institution, suspended for a year, and given a four-month curfew.
Maxamed was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for a year, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. They must both do 20 days of rehabilitation activity.