Man stole £48k to buy holidays, nights out and Ed Sheeran tickets

Skinner "manipulated everyone around him in order to make selfish gains", police said

A man who stole more than £48,000 from his parents, girlfriends, friends and employer "without any prejudice or remorse" to fund "a life way beyond his means" has been jailed for fraud.

Lancashire Police said Wayne Skinner used the money to buy luxury holidays, nights out and Ed Sheeran gig tickets.

A spokesman said he shared photos of his exploits online, tagged with the words "fake it 'till you make it".

At Burnley Crown Court, the 22-year-old was jailed for five years seven months.

Skinner, formerly of Birstall Road, Liverpool, was caught out in 2018 when an engineering company in Colne who he had worked for received a phone call from a leasing company to say police had seized the BMW he was driving.

An investigation found he had used his company card to buy fuel for unauthorised vehicles, created fake invoices and paid money into his bank account, stealing more than £13,000 in the process.

False Covid claim

In the same year, he photocopied a bank card belonging to the grandmother of his then girlfriend and used it to pay for takeaways, rail tickets to Newcastle and tickets for an Ed Sheeran concert.

Two years later, his mother told police Skinner had stolen £15,000 from her.

Officers then found he had also taken £20,000 from his father.

Lancashire Police said during its investigation, Skinner was bailed, but had proceeded to steal an Apple watch from a woman who had agreed to let him use her home as a bail address.

He later tried to get the case against him adjourned by sending an email to his solicitor, purportedly from the NHS, in which he falsely claimed to have tested positive for Covid-19.

He was found guilty of six counts of fraud by false representation, perverting the course of justice and theft by an employee on Tuesday.

Sentencing him, Judge Sara Dodd also imposed an indefinite restraining order, preventing him from contacting his parents directly or indirectly.

Speaking after the hearing, Det Sgt Steve Munro said Skinner had been "addicted to living a life way beyond his means" and has "constantly stolen and committed frauds" against anyone he came into contact with.

"He has stolen from strangers, work colleagues, friends, girlfriends and even his family, all seemingly without any prejudice or remorse," he said.

"Skinner has manipulated everyone around him in order to make selfish gains for himself and since the investigation began in 2018, he has continued to steal even more recklessly.

"The only thing which stopped him was his remand by the courts."