Jobless conman who lived the high life convicted of handbag fraud

A jobless fraudster who claimed to be the “British Kardashian” has pleaded guilty to swindling people out of thousands of pounds in a handbag sales hoax.

At Chester Crown Court today, Jack Watkin, 26, of Wilmslow Road in Alderley Edge in Cheshire, pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud by false representation and two counts of theft, on the first full day of his trial. 

He was convicted of possessing indecent images of children, found on his phone after he was arrested at an earlier trial in April.

Watkin offered some of his victims a stake in a business venture to buy and sell ‘exclusive’ handbags. He offered others the chance to buy and then sell on the exclusive bags at a profit. Hardly any of the money lent was ever paid back and no profits materialised.

Watkin persuaded people to part with their money by putting on a front of a glamorous lifestyle. He stayed at top hotels – spending £139,000 at London’s Dorchester Hotel between March 2019 and December 2022 - went on expensive holidays and made videos for social media about being a multi-millionaire.

In reality, he was unemployed and funding his lifestyle by loans from banks, pawnbrokers or from the people he had swindled.

He was caught when the police arrived at a spot where he had arranged to meet one of his victims. The woman had been in touch with another woman he had defrauded and the two contacted the police.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Laura Atherton, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Jack Watkin was a serial liar who funded his luxury lifestyle by defrauding others, including his own father and a long-time friend, of large sums of money over several years.

“He would tell his victims that he had connections that could source luxury goods for them, predominantly handbags such as Birkins and Hermès, or that he could get them himself.

“Some of the victims wanted the bags for themselves or as gifts to others. Others thought they were entering into a genuine business opportunity, lending Watkin money to buy luxury items that he’d told them would generate a profit.

“It was all lies. Most of the goods and profits never materialised and the loans were never repaid in full. 

“Jack Watkin presented a lavish picture of himself on social media. But behind the scenes he was unemployed and using other people’s money to fund this lifestyle, such as living and dining in luxury 5-star hotels.

“During the investigation, police also discovered indecent images of children on Watkin’s device, including the most serious category of images.

“This case has been a complicated one with many layers, and the Crown Prosecution Service has worked diligently alongside Cheshire Police to bring justice to the victims of Watkin’s offending. The CPS would like to thank both the police and the victims for their help and cooperation in bringing Jack Watkin to justice.”

Facts of the case

The fraud centred on bags made by the company Hermès. This brand only allows their bags to be bought by select, registered customers. Because of their exclusivity, they can generally be resold at a large profit.

Watkin claimed to be one of the select, registered Hermès customers. He never paid back the loans given to him by his victims, any profits from sales or provided the bags that his victims had given him the money to buy. When they tried to get their money back, he either avoided them or made excuses.

The victims included his father and an old friend. He was arrested after one of his victims, who owned an exclusive handbag shop in Cheshire went onto social media, highlighting what she suspected were his fraudulent activities. Watkins’ old friend saw the post and the two women got in contact.

The old friend arranged to meet Watkin in Alderley Edge on 18 March 2024. The owner of the shop contacted Cheshire Police and gave them the time and location of the meeting. He was arrested by officers at the scene and taken for questioning.

He claimed his lavish lifestyle was funded by his mother and a partner he refused to name. He said he had always intended to pay his victims back but just needed more time.

He was arrested again on 18 October 2024 following further investigations. It had come to light that Watkin had been securing loans from pawnbrokers and that he had been declared bankrupt in February 2023.

He will be sentenced on 3 September at Chester Crown Court.