Latest news with #JackWatkin
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Self-proclaimed ‘Kardashian of Cheshire' fraudster brags about wealth in documentary
Jack Watkin, 26, who previously featured in a Rich Kids of Instagram documentary, defrauded businesses and individuals of over £200,000. Watkin committed fraud by falsely claiming he had contacts for exclusive Hermes handbags and would split resale profits, spending the illicit gains at Harrods and the Dorchester hotel. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud by false representation at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday. Watkin was also convicted earlier in 2025 of nine offences related to indecent images and is scheduled to be sentenced for both the fraud and indecent images offences on 3 September. Watch the video in full above.
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Boutique owner who was scammed by the 'Kardashian of Cheshire' reveals how she 'turned Miss Marple' to catch con man
A boutique owner who was scammed by self-proclaimed 'rich kid of Instagram ' Jack Watkin today described how she 'turned Miss Marple' to catch the con man. Christine Colbert, 58, had already spent three years trying to get back almost £44,000 she had loaned the 26-year-old when she decided to take matters into her own hands. With the help of Watkin's close friend, Hannah Jakes, 34, who was also defrauded of almost £100,000, the pair lured the fake millionaire, who was on the run from police, to a local pub with the promise of more cash. Speaking after the former public schoolboy was convicted of the £200,000 fraud today, Ms Colbert revealed how she wore a 'large hat' as a disguise and hid in someone else's car in the car park of The Merlin public house, in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, so he would not recognise her. But as soon as the unsuspecting Watkin arrived Mrs Colbert swung into action and dialled 999. Minutes later detectives from Cheshire police swooped to arrest him. 'Myself and another victim did go on quite a lone detective journey ourselves to bring our own evidence,' she said. 'There's one thing Jack wants and that's money. We just knew that if we could get him to a meeting, probably rooted in another financial deal, we could pinpoint a place. 'I knew Cheshire police didn't know where he was, so we did pinpoint a place and lured him to that spot and I dialled 999.' She joked: 'He wasn't too pleased to see who was under the hat. I needed him to know it was me because I'd told him if he didn't pay me back I would come out on this. 'He worked on the basis that people were too embarrassed or wealthy enough to write it off and I didn't fall into those categories.' Ms Colbert said she felt 'hugely betrayed' by Watkin, who befriended her in September 2020 and became a regular visitor to her shop, Dress Cheshire, in Prestbury. She said he was 'extremely knowledgeable' about the luxury good market and persuaded her, and five other victims, to hand over large sums of money, on the promise that he could source exclusive Hermes handbags and sell them in return for a share of the profits. But neither the handbags or the profits ever materialised and instead Watkin used the cash to fund his own lavish lifestyle. Ms Colbert said: 'Jack was an extremely believable person. His depth of knowledge of the luxury goods industry was quite staggering. 'I was very much convinced by his lifestyle, which I could see on social media. To be fair, he was living that lifestyle, it just happened to be on everybody else's money. 'He was rubbing shoulders with significant high net worth individuals, people of substance, people were following him (on Instagram). 'These were significant people in the arena of luxury goods, respected people. So, there was nothing not to believe. 'It was a very credible story. And he looked and spoke the part.' Ms Colbert said that initially she was embarrassed that she had been scammed and hid it from her family. But eventually she 'lost patience' and, in March last year, put up a post on Instagram warning others that Watkin was a fraudster. The post was spotted by Ms Jakes, who had been a friend of Watkin's for more than a decade and had also been duped by him, who agreed to help catch him. But Ms Colbert said it was 'gut-wrenching' when police told her that 'charming' Watkin, who she trusted and considered a friend, had been using her cash to pay for his own extravagance. At one stage he spent weeks living at the five-star Dorchester Hotel, in London's Mayfair, where rooms cost up to £3,000-a-night. Police said his bill topped £136,000 in just 18 months. He also paid more than £22,000 to travel around the capital in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce and regularly visited Harrods, where he 'scouted' for victims and spent almost £68,000. 'This was a very charming individual,' Ms Colbert added. 'He's not aggressive. It almost got to the point where I felt like I was dancing around him to try and get him to talk about what he owed me. 'I don't think he's worked a day in his life. It's a fantasy world that he lives in (where) he thinks it's okay to live off other people's money. 'But this level of fraud against anybody is just unacceptable and I wasn't prepared to stand back.' Detective Constable Gareth Yates said Watkin had been declared bankrupt and the chances of Ms Colbert or any other victims getting their money back was slim. He also said there may be other people out there who had been conned that had not yet come forward, so their investigation remained ongoing. 'We will try and obtain any assets, but ultimately early indications would suggest that Watkin is an individual with a life built on social media, a life built on sand, and he has no assets to his name.' Watkin is due to be sentenced in September.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Man featured on ‘Rich Kids of Instagram' documentary pleads guilty to fraud
Jack Watkin, 26, pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud at Chester Crown Court, ending his trial on its second day. Watkin defrauded individuals by promising lucrative returns from investments in luxury designer handbags. Victims were left significantly out of pocket as neither the promised financial returns nor the luxury items materialized. He cultivated a facade of a glamorous and luxurious lifestyle, including through social media, to gain the trust of his victims. Watkin, of Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was featured in the Channel 4 documentary Rich Kids Of Instagram in 2016. Watkin, who was remanded in custody, will be sentenced on September 3 for these fraud offences and earlier convictions related to indecent images.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Kardashian of Cheshire' behind £200,000 handbag scam brags about wealth in 2016 Channel 4 documentary
A man who has described himself as Cheshire's very own Kardashian bragged about his wealth in a 2016 Rich Kids of Instagram documentary when he was 17. Jack Watkin, 26, formerly of Wilmslow Road, Alderley Edge, defrauded businesses and individuals to a total value of more than £200,000. Watkin told victims he had contacts to access exclusive Hermes handbags, which can't be purchased over the counter, and could split the profits made on resale. Police said Watkin instead spent the money in Harrods and staying at the Dorchester hotel. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud by false representation at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 24 June. Watkin was convicted earlier this year of nine offences related to indecent images. He will be sentenced for the fraud and indecent images offences on 3 September.
The Irish Sun
15 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Kardashian of Cheshire' ADMITS posing as millionaire to swindle wealthy pals and family out of £200k in handbag scam
A MAN who described himself as the "Kardashian of Cheshire" has admitted posing as a millionaire to con his own family and wealthy friends out of £200,000. Jack Watkin pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud, worth a total of more than £195,000 on the second day of his trial at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday. 7 Watkin defrauded his own father out of more than £20,000 Credit: PA 7 He spent money in Harrods and five-star hotel The Dorchester, where he racked up a bill of more than £100,000 Credit: PA 7 Jack Watkin gained trust with an 'outward facade of a luxurious lifestyle' Credit: PA The 26-year-old conned people - including his own father - out of tens of thousands of pounds he claimed was for luxury handbags. He spent his money in Harrods and five-star London hotel The Dorchester, where he racked up a bill of more than £100,000, police said. The jury heard he gained his victims' trust with an "outward facade of a glamorous and luxurious lifestyle". Watkin, who appeared in Channel 4 documentary Rich Kids Of Instagram in 2016, was warned by Judge Simon Berkson he faces a prison sentence. Read more News Detective Constable Gareth Yates said: "Jack Watkin has built a lifestyle on social media, on Instagram, and that lifestyle is one of exuberance. "So, if anyone was to look at that profile, you would see fancy hotels, luxury cars, designer clothing, and he created a following. "As a result of that he then gets notoriety, from an Instagram perspective, followers, people. "He often described himself as the Kardashian of Cheshire. Most read in The Sun "What my understanding from that would be is that he is an individual of wealth and has the ability to purchase wealthy items. "People follow him with the desire to be him. "That following allowed him to create a ruse to be the fraudster we now know, and convicted fraudster." Watkin's victims included friend Hannah Jakes, who he admitted defrauding of £98,500, and Christine Colbert, owner of Dress Cheshire, who was defrauded of £43,800. How one nan's life was ruined after scammer posing as police convinced her to spend £43k on two Rolexes while caring for dementia sufferer husband He also defrauded his father, Jason Watkin, of £24,500. The court heard Mr Watkin was not repaid, but could see from social media his son was "spending lavishly on his lifestyle". Watkin also admitted fraud of more than £13,000 on James Irlam, who was told by Watkin he had a personal relationship with the director of Hermes and was able to source handbags. Andor Farkas, a Watkin also pleaded guilty to the £840 fraud of Naheem Akhtar, who had given Watkin the money for a pair of Lora Piana shoes which he never received. Opening the trial on Monday, Matthew Kerruish-Jones, prosecuting, said: "The defendant put forward the outward facade of a glamorous and luxurious lifestyle. "This, it seems, engendered trust and led a number of individuals to loan him large sums of money on the promise of either a financial return, or luxury items. Neither of which materialised." He said complainants would be left "out of pocket for large sums of money". 7 Some of his victims believed he was a millionaire Credit: PA 7 Watkin's victims included friend Hannah Jakes, who he admitted defrauding of just under £100,000 Credit: PA 7 Christine Colbert, owner of Dress Cheshire, was defrauded of £43,800 Credit: PA Kerruish-Jones added: "The defendant would make excuses and avoid the complainants, all the while spending large sums of money on maintaining his seemingly lavish lifestyle." Watkin was said to have told victims their money would be used to buy Hermes handbags, which were then to be sold on for a profit. The jury was told bag purchases from Hermes were only allowed to select registered customers and, because of their exclusivity, the bags often attracted a value far in excess of their original price when resold. Judge Berkson told Watkin: "You have today pleaded guilty to a number of charges of fraud. "Those charges are serious and involve a significant amount of loss to victims of your fraud. "There's no doubt only one sentence must follow from those guilty pleas." A further count of fraud and two counts of theft were ordered to lie on file. Watkin, of Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was convicted earlier this year of nine offences related to indecent images. He was remanded in custody ahead sentencing on September 3. 7 He was remanded in custody ahead sentencing on September 3 Credit: PA
