Asylum seeker used false identity - court told

Djamel Haddad, 25, Mostapha Safi, 32, Salitania Rida, 28, and Muhammed Khatimi, 28, used bogus cheques in high street stores and then returned the goods to claim cash refunds, the Old Bailey has heard.

They often bought women's clothing so they could return the items as "unwanted presents."

They stockpiled 214 cheques from two accounts at Barclays and Abbey National then went on spending sprees in shops across the South East.

The accounts were left thousands of pounds overdrawn.

Members of the group were originally arrested along with Noureddine Mouleff, 36, on suspicion of terrorism offences. But these allegations were dropped.

Mouleff had posed as fellow gang member Khatimi to get a job as a kitchen worker at the United Arab Emirates' technical training centre at Little Common, the court was told.

Referring to the bank scam, Crispin Aylett, prosecuting, said: "Cheque books in the names of Jean Pierre Victor and Marc Bouthors were reported stolen or lost then replacements were provided.

"Those reported lost were used to purchase goods approaching 100, often women's clothing, to make it easy for the men to claim they did not fit and claim a cash refund.

"This was a professional, organised and persistent scam."

Using the Victor account, they bought items at New Look, Marks and Spencer, British Home Stores and B&Q stores in Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Guildford and at Lakeside Shopping Centre at Thurrock in Essex.

The fraud cost Barclays 22,112.

In another cheque book swindle, Khatimi and Haddad used the Bouthors account to buy goods in Preston, Lancashire, which cost Abbey National 15,000.

The gang members played different roles as they perpetrated the scam, the court was told.

Safi stockpiled the cheque books while Haddad and Rida shopped for the items. Khatimi then returned the goods and banked the proceeds.

Haddad was arrested in British Home Stores in Worthing after staff became suspicious when he tried to return the goods. The rest of the gang were detained and their fingerprints were found on the recovered cheques.

All four men pleased guilty last Thursday to fraud charges.

Judge Elgan Edwards told Safi and Khatimi: "In all the circumstances a custodial sentence in inevitable for this was a planned dishonesty."

He added: "Djamel Haddad, you are properly described as a foot soldier, Salitania Rida, you are least involved."

Safi admitted three counts of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception on March 5, 1988, October 1, 2002 and September 15, 2003.

These related to giving a false name to employers to work illegally at two hotels and a branch of Coffee Republic.

Safi, of High Road, Leytonstone, east London, also admitted one count of conspiracy to defraud between June 1 and November 28 last year.

Safi was jailed for 12 months.

Khatimi, of Midhurst Road, Eastbourne, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud between June 1 and November 28 last year.

Khatimi was also jailed for a total of 12 months.

Haddad, of no fixed address, was jailed for six months for two counts of conspiracy to defraud.

Rida, of Woodland Vale Street, St Leonards, was given a 12- month conditional discharge after admitting one charge of conspiracy to defraud.

Noureddine Mouleff, of Pevensey Road, Eastbourne, was given a 12-month conditional discharge for obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception. Mouleff had pretended to be Khatimi, who has a Spanish wife and is entitled to work in the UK. Mouleff used this false cover to get the job with the UAE technical training establishment.