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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Man who branded himself ‘Kardashian of Cheshire' admits luxury handbag fraud
A man who described himself as the 'Kardashian of Cheshire' has pleaded guilty to fraud after conning people out of thousands of pounds he claimed was for luxury handbags. Jack Watkin, 26, 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. 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. He spent his money in Harrods and staying in five-star London hotel The Dorchester, where he had a bill of more than £100,000, police said. Speaking outside court, victim Christine Colbert said she had been 'hugely betrayed' by Watkin, but she was pleased with the outcome. She said: 'I have absolutely no idea what is in his mind and what he thought. I don't think he's worked a day in his life. 'He's rewritten history in his own mind and that's a fantasy world that he lives in. He thinks it's OK to live off other people's money.' Detective Constable Gareth Yates said: 'Jack Watkin is a male who 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, and that following allowed him to create a ruse to be the fraudster we now know, and convicted fraudster.' He added: 'He often described himself as the Kardashian of Cheshire. What my understanding from that would be is that he is an individual of wealth and has the ability to purchase wealthy items. As a result of that he then gets notoriety, from an Instagram perspective, followers, people. People follow him with the desire to be him.' 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'. He 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. Watkin's victims included friend Hannah Jakes, who he admitted defrauding of £98,500, and Ms Colbert, owner of Dress Cheshire, who was defrauded of £43,800. 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 barman at Harrods, was victim of a £14,000 fraud and had believed Watkin, a regular customer, was a millionaire, the court heard. Watkin also pleaded guilty to the £840 fraud of Naheem Akhtar, who the court heard had given Watkin the money for a pair of Lora Piana shoes which he never received. 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 before his sentence on September 3.
The Independent
a day 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.
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
'Kardashian of Cheshire' conned friends out of £200,000 in Hermes handbag scam
A wannabe millionaire who described himself as the 'Kardashian of Cheshire' while scamming rich friends and his own dad out of £200,000 is facing jail. Jack Watkin, 26, used social media to paint a picture of himself as living a life of luxury, which he then used to persuade those close to him to part with huge sums of money. The former public schoolboy, who once appeared in Channel 4 documentary Rich Kids Of Instagram, said their money would be used to buy Hermes handbags, which would then be sold on for profit. But Chester Crown Court heard neither the designer bags nor the promised profit ever materialised. Instead, Watkin blew the cash on his lavish lifestyle, spending thousands in Harrods and staying in five-star London hotel The Dorchester, where he racked up a bill of more than £100,000. He pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud, worth a total of more than £195,000 on the second day of his trial on Tuesday. Detective Constable Gareth Yates said: 'Jack Watkin is a male who 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, and that following allowed him to create a ruse to be the fraudster we now know and convicted fraudster.' He added: 'He often described himself as the Kardashian of Cheshire. What my understanding from that would be is that he is an individual of wealth and has the ability to purchase wealthy items. 'As a result of that he then gets notoriety, from an Instagram perspective, followers, people. People follow him with the desire to be him.' 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'. He 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. Bag purchases from Hermes are 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. Watkin's victims included friend Hannah Jakes, who he admitted defrauding of £98,500, and Ms Colbert, owner of Dress Cheshire, who was defrauded of £43,800. 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 barman at Harrods, was victim of a £14,000 fraud and had believed Watkin, a regular customer, was a millionaire, the court heard. Watkin also pleaded guilty to the £840 fraud of Naheem Akhtar, who the court heard had given Watkin the money for a pair of Lora Piana shoes which he never received. More Trending 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 before his sentence on September 3. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Met Police boss grilled into apologising to ITV's Selina Scott after vicious mugging MORE: Officer could face sack after asking colleague to 'pull his finger then farting anyway' MORE: Drug kingpins guilty of plot to murder rival and smuggling £5,000,000 of cocaine
The Irish Sun
a day 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
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Kardashian of Cheshire' ADMITS posing as millionaire to swindle wealthy pals and family out of £200k in handbag scam
The brazen crook posted snaps on Instagram showing off his lavish lifestyle WEB OF LIES 'Kardashian of Cheshire' ADMITS posing as millionaire to swindle wealthy pals and family out of £200k in handbag scam Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 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. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 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. 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. "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 barman at Harrods, was victim of a £14,000 fraud and had believed Watkin, a regular customer, was a millionaire, the court heard. 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.
