A Facebook scam artist swindled sellers out of electronic gadgets and high-end items totalling £27,000. Edward McDonagh, 21, contacted individuals on Facebook Messenger who were selling their belongings.
He duped them into believing they had received payment for their iPads, designer garments, and Rolex watches, even conducting a “pretend conversation” with a bank over the phone to persuade a doubtful seller. The victims were left distressed and humiliated, but McDonagh’s scheme was eventually uncovered, Caernarfon Crown Court heard.
On Thursday a judge sentenced him to three years in prison for eleven fraud charges and other crimes. McDonagh, previously of Wrexham but now residing at Queen Victoria Street, Blackburn, admitted fraud by false representation over 14 months from October 2022 to December 2023. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
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Prosecutor Catherine Elvin described how the defendant found individuals selling items on Facebook and visited their homes or other locations across the UK under the pretense of purchasing them. In one instance, he journeyed to buy a £9,500 Rolex watch in Newcastle on June 6 last year.
Accompanied by an unnamed woman, he met the seller at a Starbucks in Hexham, Ms Elvin said. She recounted how McDonagh tried on the watch, seemingly completed a bank transfer for it and showed the owner his account on his mobile, but it was a all sham, reports North Wales Live.
When the seller grew suspicious and requested the return of the Rolex, McDonagh insisted: “I have paid for it now so it’s mine.” The victim was allowed to photograph a passport, supposedly belonging to McDonagh, but it wasn’t his, the court heard. McDonagh and his companion drove away and the Rolex owner took a photo of his van’s registration number. Get the best user experience with WalesOnline’s Premium app on Apple or Android
But it was a false plate, said Ms Elvin. Then last December the defendant tried to “buy” another Rolex worth £12,400. He tried on the watch and “simply never took it off”. He apparently paid for it online then showed its owner fake confirmation of the payment. They called the bank to double check but McDonagh became “annoyed”.
He suggested it would take 24 hours for the money to arrive in the victim’s account. The defendant “continued to pressurise” the victim and “managed to get away,” said the prosecutor. The court heard on another occasion that McDonagh would also “pretend” to have a conversation with a bank and ignore the bank worker’s questions. In total his victims were defrauded out of belongings worth £27,585.
The court heard McDonagh fell to be sentenced for starting a fight when he punched another man in Wrexham on December 19. He was also found to be driving a Mercedes whilst disqualified and with no third party insurance in central London.
Trevor Parry-Jones, defending, said his client has Tourette’s, anxiety, depression and PTSD. He has lived in Wrexham and Blackburn and a relative has cancer. Mr Parry-Jones noted how unusual it was for someone so young – between the ages of 19 and 21 – to commit fraud so frequently in this way. “There is obviously something very wrong in his make-up and very wrong in his learning,” he added.
Previously, the defendant had been wearing a tag for a prior offence, but it was causing him “severe anxiety” and suicidal thoughts. After hearing medical evidence, the court decided to remove it, the defence counsel added.
The judge, Her Honour Nicola Saffman, sentenced the defendant to two years for each of his eleven frauds, with all but one running concurrently, and to an additional 12 months due to a suspended sentence being activated, totalling three years. No separate penalty was given for the false use of a licence plate, other driving offences, or the public order offence in Wrexham.