Rizwan Hanif sentenced to 100 hours community work
AN eBay fraudster who kept £730 for a laptop computer which he never supplied was sentenced to a 12-month community order at Luton Crown Court.
Rizwan Hanif, of St Lawrence Avenue, Luton, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation on Monday 11 May. He was ordered to undertake 100 hours unpaid community work, as well as pay compensation to the hapless customer and costs totalling £1,000.
The court heard after selling the laptop on eBay it never reached the customer and Hanif did not reply to any emails. The victim was unable to get compensation from eBay so informed police.
Hanif was arrested in February last year and at first denied getting the cheque. He later said he had received the money but claimed he had sent off the computer by recorded delivery.
His barrister Trevor Archer said 21-year-old Hanif had himself been the victim of a fraud on the auction web site, which had left him “angry and frustrated”.
Judge Andrew Bright QC told Hanif: “This was a particularly mean and devious offence. After your own experience you should have know better than to inflict those feelings on someone else.”
