Fraudster who stole car posed as footballer

A fraudster posed as a Premier League footballer to con a garage out of a £24,000 car, a court has heard.

Todd Baston claimed he was on loan to Everton from Aston Villa’s under-23 team while taking a Mini Cooper Sport for a test drive that he never returned.

The 24-year-old, from Devon, admitted fraud by false representation, at Liverpool Crown Court.

Baston was described as “[confident] and convincing” when he visited the BMW dealership in Great Howard Street, Liverpool, in October 2019.

Baston received a two-year suspended sentence and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.