This is Leicestershire --
A conman used cloned credit cards to pay £1,500 in court fines during a year-long spending spree.
James Cheshire used 16 forged cards to buy luxuries, including a bed with a pop-up television and a Leicester Tigers season ticket.
He was bailed twice but kept one step ahead of the authorities for a time, moving flats and continuing to offend.
Leicester Crown Court was told that between October 2011 and January 6 last year, he used cloned cards three times to pay off court fines, of about £500 each.
Jailing Cheshire for 12 months yesterday , Judge Robert Brown said: "He's gone on offending regardless and even had the cheek to use stolen-identity cards to pay off court fines.
"How much more brazen can you be than that?
"He's been committing fraud to have a good life including rugby tickets, holidays and flats."
The court heard that Cheshire has two previous convictions for theft from an employer, the last being in 2006.
His barrister, James Bide-Thomas said his client was now going straight – running his own company "selling credit card machines to businesses".
Cheshire admitted 31 offences of fraud, between January 2011 and February last year, involving a total of £8,730.
Tim Bowden, prosecuting, said: "He used the cloned cards at hotels, on car insurance payments, car parts, fuel cards, event tickets, clothing, a laptop, a sofa and armchair, a bed incorporating a television.
"He bought some items on finance and used the cards to make the payments."
Cheshire (28) fraudulently paid the rent on a city centre apartment which came with a communal swimming pool, before moving to another luxury flat nearby, using forged cards to pay the £1,500 up-front deposit, rent and service charge.
When he was rumbled there, he fraudulently splashed out £870 on another pad in the city.
Mr Bowden said: "The transactions were charged to the people who held the genuine cards and they would have been inconvenienced sorting it out. There was a myriad of links leading to him."
The defendant tried fobbing people off when they queried his financial status.
Cheshire, most recently of Standon Drive, Sheffield, begged the judge for leniency after he was jailed, saying: "Please suspended the sentence. I'll lose everything."
However, Judge Brown said: "You've had your chances."
Mr Bide-Thomas said: "He's legitimately involved in the credit card machine business with four people on full-time salaries and four on commission only."
But Judge Brown said he wondered if the suppliers knew "what sort of a man they are dealing with". Reported by This is 14 hours ago.
A conman used cloned credit cards to pay £1,500 in court fines during a year-long spending spree.
James Cheshire used 16 forged cards to buy luxuries, including a bed with a pop-up television and a Leicester Tigers season ticket.
He was bailed twice but kept one step ahead of the authorities for a time, moving flats and continuing to offend.
Leicester Crown Court was told that between October 2011 and January 6 last year, he used cloned cards three times to pay off court fines, of about £500 each.
Jailing Cheshire for 12 months yesterday , Judge Robert Brown said: "He's gone on offending regardless and even had the cheek to use stolen-identity cards to pay off court fines.
"How much more brazen can you be than that?
"He's been committing fraud to have a good life including rugby tickets, holidays and flats."
The court heard that Cheshire has two previous convictions for theft from an employer, the last being in 2006.
His barrister, James Bide-Thomas said his client was now going straight – running his own company "selling credit card machines to businesses".
Cheshire admitted 31 offences of fraud, between January 2011 and February last year, involving a total of £8,730.
Tim Bowden, prosecuting, said: "He used the cloned cards at hotels, on car insurance payments, car parts, fuel cards, event tickets, clothing, a laptop, a sofa and armchair, a bed incorporating a television.
"He bought some items on finance and used the cards to make the payments."
Cheshire (28) fraudulently paid the rent on a city centre apartment which came with a communal swimming pool, before moving to another luxury flat nearby, using forged cards to pay the £1,500 up-front deposit, rent and service charge.
When he was rumbled there, he fraudulently splashed out £870 on another pad in the city.
Mr Bowden said: "The transactions were charged to the people who held the genuine cards and they would have been inconvenienced sorting it out. There was a myriad of links leading to him."
The defendant tried fobbing people off when they queried his financial status.
Cheshire, most recently of Standon Drive, Sheffield, begged the judge for leniency after he was jailed, saying: "Please suspended the sentence. I'll lose everything."
However, Judge Brown said: "You've had your chances."
Mr Bide-Thomas said: "He's legitimately involved in the credit card machine business with four people on full-time salaries and four on commission only."
But Judge Brown said he wondered if the suppliers knew "what sort of a man they are dealing with". Reported by This is 14 hours ago.