Third time unlucky for fraudster who tried scam at John Lewis
LEICESTER WAS AMONG STORES TARGETED IN FAILED THEFT
IT was third time unlucky for a credit card fraudster who continually tried to illegally acquire an iPhone from John Lewis.
Ifeanyi Madu, pictured, visited three branches of the store – Leicester, Tamworth and Birmingham – and each time tried to use a John Lewis Partnership credit card in someone else’s name to buy the XS phones, worth £999 each.
The 38-year-old’s transactions did not go through on the first two occasions and he left empty-handed from the stores in the Highcross shopping centre, pictured above left, and Ventura Park, Tamworth.
But at the Birmingham store, in the Grand Central mall, the transaction finally seemed to be going through until staff realised what was going on and blocked the sale.
As he was detained he tried to throw the credit card down behind a skirting board, but was spotted, a court heard.
Madu, of Gascoyne Road, London, pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing an article for use in fraud and three charges of fraud by deception.
He was sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court last week to a 20-week jail term, suspended for 18 months.
The magistrates ordered he must also pay £185 in court costs and a £115 victim surcharge.
The court heard how he made all three attempts to buy the phones on Sunday, February 9 this year.
Steven Mickelwright, prosecuting, said: “The defendant travelled to John Lewis in Birmingham, Grand Central, and did manage to purchase an Apple iPhone, valued at £999, but as the transaction was going through security were alerted and they informed the manager.
“All of the purchases were made with a John Lewis Partnership card which does not relate to the defendant.
“He was detained by security in Birmingham. While being taken to a holding room he removed the fraudulent credit card and dropped it down a skirting board in the room.”
Mohammed Naser, mitigating, said father-of-three Madu was out of work at the time and had been given the card by someone else who was going to allow him to keep a cut from the fraud. He said: “Perhaps the pressure he felt and placed upon himself (to provide financially) was responsible for this poor exercise in judgement. “He was in possession of a card that didn’t belong to him. It was given to him by someone else.
“He would receive a proportion of the funds generated from the acquisition of the mobile phones. “A short time after this offence he was working. He has a degree. He is someone whose background can’t be reconciled with these offences.
“It goes to demonstrate how desperate he felt and the pressure he felt to behave in this way, which will now live with him for a long time.”
The chair of the Bench said: “These offences were planned, they targeted particular stores. You were trying to obtain the same iPhone XS.
“We don’t know where the card came from but it wasn’t your card, so it must have come from someone else. “This was a group activity and in our view they were serious offences. “We believe they cross the custody threshold, but there are mitigating factors that allow us to suspend the period of imprisonment.”
As the transaction was going through security were alerted and they informed the manager
Steven Mickelwright, prosecuting