THE Gwent teenager who defrauded eBay users to live the high life in Manhattan struck again while on bail, we can reveal.
Today, Phillip Shortman, 18, admitted conning rugby fans desperate to see the Wales v Ireland Grand Slam decider out of £8,000 by offering bogus tickets for sale on the same internet website he had already used to con people out of almost £46,000.
Abergavenny magistrates were told today that he even claimed to one rugby fan he conned that he was the nephew of Pontypool, Wales and British Lions legend Graham Price.
Shortman was sentenced to 12 months youth custody at Cardiff crown court in May this year after admitting 21 counts of obtaining property by deception and asking for 63 other offences to be taken into consideration. Shortman, recently released on licence, formerly of Chester Close, New Inn, Pontypool, but now living in the Twinings, Cwmbran, was told today he faces a second custodial sentence.
Shortman pleaded guilty to four offences of obtaining property by deception.
Three of the offences committed involved conning a trio of separate rugby fans out of £7,990 for non-existent tickets for Wales' victorious Grand Slam decider with Ireland in March.
Prosecutor Rob Vernon told magistrates Shortman claimed to one Cheshire man that the Pontypool front row legend Graham Price was his uncle before persuading his victim to part with £7,000 for a debenture ticket ready to be used for the Ireland match.
A victim in Gloucestershire was duped out of £600 for a pair of tickets, programmes and jerseys while a London woman lost £380 on two match tickets.
Shortman also conned a Scottish victim out of £125 for a Nokia mobile phone.
Stephen Ritter, mitigating for Shortman, said: "This matter could have been dealt with earlier."
Magistrates' chairman Sue Saunders told Shortman: "These offences are so serious that you need greater punishment than we can impose in this court."
The teenager was granted bail on condition he does not use the internet and sentence was adjourned to Newport crown court next month. The teenager was convicted last year of defrauding eBay customers out of nearly £46,000.
After the crown court case, police estimated the figure he obtained could be as high as £85,000.
Shortman lived a jet-set life style and stayed in a luxury New York hotel taking a helicopter ride over Manhattan. But his penchant for designer clothes and treating friends to nights out in chauffeur limousines came to an abrupt end when detectives raided the home he then shared in New Inn with his parents.
Police found an Aladdin's cave of hi-fi equipment, camcorders and DVD players.
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