A fraudster who used a woman’s identity to set up accounts and buy goods online has been jailed for six weeks.

David John Charles ordered designer clothes, televisions, electrical goods and a mattress after agreeing a year-long house swap with her.

Charles had been paying off the accounts gradually but there was still said to be an outstanding balance of £2,500 when he got caught.

The woman said in a victim impact statement that the offences had left her unable to get any loan and having to cancel plans to buy a house as her credit rating had been so badly affected by Charles’s actions.

The 45-year-old, who lives in Hutchinson Square, Douglas, admitted nine counts of fraud by false representation.

We previously reported how Charles had arranged a house swap with the woman in August 2019.

But in September 2020 she was told by an employer that a credit check had shown outstanding balances with several online stores and this had impacted on her credit score.

accounts

Accounts had been opened fraudulently in her name with Jacamo, JD Williams, Fashion World, Studio Retail Limited, Freemans, Look Again, Bon Prix, Curvissa, and Home Retail Group Card Services Limited.

Charles said that he had first tried to open the accounts in his own name but had been refused due to his credit score so he had then used the woman’s name.

He was also said to have tried to get credit cards in her name but had only been successful in getting one, with Argos, which he had never used.

The accounts were said to have a random address in Dundee but all the goods had been delivered to Keppel Road, where Charles was living at the time.

On November 30 he was arrested and a large number of the items were found in his home.

When interviewed by police he admitted all the offences saying he thought the woman was a banker and that they had swapped houses for one year.

He said he had used her name after his own was declined and he had also used a fake phone number and email address.

The court heard that he had no previous convictions.

Defence advocate Kate Alexander asked the court to follow the recommendation of a probation report which suggested a suspended sentence as appropriate and to consider a psychiatric report which was not read out in court.

Ms Alexander said that her client accepted that the offences were mean, pre-planned, over a period of time, and the items bought were non-essential.

The advocate said that Charles’s actions had also had a devastating effect on his own life as his marriage had broken down and he had left the family home since his crimes came to light.

’He is not working and clearly he’s going to struggle to find work even if he is able to resolve mental health difficulties,’ said Ms Alexander.

’He entered guilty pleas and made full admissions in interview. It is difficult to see how he could have been more co-operative in the police investigation.

’He has lost his good character in spectacular fashion and that is going to impact him, I would imagine, for the rest of his life.’

Ms Alexander also asked the court to consider the article eight human rights of Charles’s children who she said had ’already had their lives turned upside down’, and the psychiatric report which said that his mental health could deteriorate if sent to custody.

health

Deputy High Bailiff James Brooks told Charles he had considered his mental health issues and that they had worsened recently but added: ’That does seem to have come about because you got caught.

’This wasn’t impulsive. It must have been thought out because you repeated the behaviour numerous times.

’You must surely have known that opening accounts would have a severe impact. It seems to me you found a trick that worked and you were content to keep on using it.’

Mr Brooks sentenced Charles to six weeks in custody for each of the nine offences, all to run concurrently.