A Chester businesswoman was the victim of fraud by a London couple.

Alison Maunder returned home from holiday in America to find to her considerable distress that her personal details had been used to obtain three mobile phones and a laptop.

It turned out the couple had used her details to order the goods and then travelled in a hire car to Chester. They met the delivery man at her home at Curzon Park while she was still away and obtained the goods.

On her return from holiday Mrs Maunder found that she was being chased for payment.

Admitted four fraud charges

Kimani Jones, 29, and his partner Gemma Gittens, 33, both of Enfield in Middlesex, were jailed at Mold Crown Court after they admitted four fraud charges – and a money laundering charge.

Prosecuting barrister Nick Sefton told the court that a police investigation uncovered unexplained deposits of £8,000 into Jones’ account and £25,000 into Gittens’ account.

He was jailed for 16 months and Gittens, the mother of a young baby, received eight months.

The charges dated back to 2013.

Victim's distress

Judge David Hale said it was apparent that for a period of time before their arrest they had been ordering goods on line and over the telephone using false identifications.

It was not known how they got the Chester businesswoman’s details but it had caused her particular distress and could have affected her credit rating.

She had been on holiday in America when the defendants ordered three mobile phones and a laptop to be delivered to her home.

They turned up in a hire car and met the delivery man, got the property and returned to London to sell the items.

Inquiries revealed that illegal money had been going through their bank accounts.

'Tip of the iceberg'

“These events in Chester were the tip of the iceberg,” the judge said.

Gittens had two previous convictions for fraud.

“Taking other people’s identity is an extremely serious matter,” Judge Hale told them.

“You may think that it is just a scam to get some money but it does have consequences. When it happens, people must know that the courts will take a serious view of it.”

The offences, he said, were deliberate and sophisticated, they had travelled the country to commit them, and they knew perfectly well that what they were doing was wrong.

They had no legitimate sources of income and Jones had become a preferential customer of the Avis hire company because of the number of cars he hired.

Financial desperation

Kim Halsall, defending, had suggested suspended sentences.

It was their case that they had acted out of financial desperation.

They now had a young child, he had applied for a job with Virgin working in the broadband sector in which he had some experience.

She had child care qualifications and was seeking to be registered as a home child minder.

“They have seen the error of their ways,” Miss Halsall said.