A fraudster lied about being an Everton FC star to con a city garage out of an expensive Mini Cooper Sport.
Todd Jordan Baston created an elaborate back story claiming to be a Premiership footballer in the under 23 team at Aston Villa but on loan at Goodison Park.
Baston, 24, had been due to face trial at Liverpool Crown Court next month but changed his plea to guilty to fraud by false representation. A separate charge of stealing the car, which he had also denied, was dropped and left to lie on the file.
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At his sentencing today (Friday), Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, said: "Baston was described as being very confident and convincing to the degree that no suspicions about what he claimed were raised."
Baston wanted to test drive the £24,000 car and used a false name supported with details stolen from another man whom he'd met briefly on a night out.
After checking the details with the DVLA, the business manager of the Williams BMW dealership in Great Howard Street, Andrew Bowen, arranged insurance and gave him the keys for a blue Mini Cooper Sport which was to be returned two days later on October 27, 2019.
On that day he rang claiming he was running late and asking if he could return it that evening but was told to bring it back the next day.
When calls were not answered the next day Mr Bowen sent a text message warning that if the vehicle was not returned the police would be called. Baston replied saying he would return it to a car park by the Radisson Hotel but was told it had to be brought back to the garage.
Miss Mottram added: "However, by Friday November 1 the vehicle had still not been returned. Mr Bowen tried to contact the defendant a number of times but got no reply.
"He eventually received a text message saying that he was on the train and believed that his agent had returned the vehicle. He promised to attend at the garage to sort matters out, but failed to show up."
He agreed to return it but did not so and failed to answer further calls and messages, said Miss Mottram.
After the police were informed inquiries revealed that Baston was the perpetrator of the fraud.
Miss Mottram said: "The identification he had used belonged to another male who had met the defendant briefly on a night out – discovering shortly after that his bank card and driving licence were missing.
"Mr Bowen identified the defendant as being the male responsible from an identification parade. The vehicle was never recovered."
When interviewed in January 2020 he denied the offence, claiming he had never visited the garage.
The prosecutor told the court that in a business impact statement the garage said they had lost out to the tune of £13,539 and two employees feared they might face disciplinary proceedings.
The court heard that Baston, formerly of Horse Fair, Birmingham, had previous offences including fraud and taking a car without consent for which he received a two year suspended sentence in May last year.
Miss Mottram said it was a a similar offence as it involved him telling the mum of a friend, whose car had been in a crash, that he would get it repaired and she handed over £4,500 but the work never materialised.
Lloyd Morgan, defending, said Baston had been 21 when he committed the Mini Cooper offence but has since matured and has been working well on his suspended sentence order.
Mr Morgan said: "At the time he had quite a chaotic lifestyle having had some difficulties as a child but he has managed to turn his life around.
"He has moved away from his peers who led him astray and he is in a settled relationship and contributes to the family and the community."
Baston, now of Church Street, Exmouth, Devon, is working for Network Rail and has rid himself of his cannabis habit and reduced his alcohol intake, he added.
The judge, Recorder Simon Parrington told Baston: "You have pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation, not for the first time you have undertaken such an offence. You have to understand that this sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable.
"You are within an ace of going away today. I am however persuaded that because of your conduct over the past year or so you have effectively rehabilitated and in those circumstances I can take a different course."
He sentenced him to two years imprisonment but suspended it for 18 months and ordered him to carry out 200 hours' unpaid work.
