Teenage con artist made £41,000 from supercar that never was

A CONMAN who tricked people into paying him more than £41,000 for a non-existent 165mph “supercar” has avoided jail on condition he pays back the money.

Blair Woods, 21, posted a message online claiming he had a limited-edition Ford Focus RS500 to sell, in the hope of persuading potential buyers to send him money, Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard yesterday.

The car, unveiled at the Leipzig Motor Show in 2010 with a price tag of £35,700, featured unique matt black “foil” paint, 19-inch alloy wheels, a 2.5-litre engine and could go from zero to 62mph in just 5.6 seconds.

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Only 500 of the model, described as the ultimate performance Ford, were produced, and only 101 right-hand-drive versions were released in the UK.

Demand was so great that speculators were reportedly re-selling them at auction for more than £40,000.

The court heard that Woods was 18 when he dreamed up the idea of cashing in by “selling” an imaginary RS500 in an online scam. His advert attracted two potential buyers, Karen Hamilton and Thomas Beck, who were conned into spending a total of £41,000 in downpayments on the car.

However, after sending £3,000 to the “seller”, Ms Hamilton grew suspicious and reported the matter to the police.

Mr Beck also contacted police, and Woods was arrested.

Woods, from Burntistland, Fife, admitted that at his home, between 17 and 21 May, 2010, he pretended to Ms Hamilton that he was the owner of, and had for sale, a Ford Focus RS500.

He admitted he wasn’t the owner, didn’t have it for sale and that he induced her to pay him £3,000 by fraud.

He also admitted that between 7 May and 13 August that year, he pretended to Mr Beck he was the owner of the same car and had it for sale. He again admitted the truth was he wasn’t the owner and didn’t have it for sale and induced him to pay £38,000 by fraud.

Dewar Spence, defending, said Woods now had a job working offshore and earned £2,400 a month. He said his client had taken a cheque for £1,000 to court to start paying back his victims and would be able to continue paying £1,000 a month until they were paid in full.

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Sheriff James Williamson warned Woods that he faced three years in jail if he did not keep up payments. He told him: “The nature of this offence leads me to conclude that you are a conman. I have given you chance after chance. This has been going on for months and, frankly, it is testing my patience.

“You fail to turn up in court when you are told, and there is a series of pathetic excuses. I don’t think you are sufficiently organised to pay.”

However, Sheriff Williamson concluded that the only option was for Woods to continue paying back the money at £1,000 a month. He said he would hold another hearing in two months to ensure the payments were being made.

He went on: “The only thing that stops you from going to prison is that the people who you took from need to get their money back. I have obvious reservations about a compensation order as it will be another 38 months until the second victim is repaid.”

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