Games con man was ‘depressed’

May 8 2008 by Kerry-Lynne Doyle, Glamorgan Gazette

A DEPRESSED man sold non-existent games consoles on eBay while depressed over his marriage break-up and losing his job.

Phillip John Howell sold two XBox consoles and two mobile phones from his home on Cae Garn, Heol-y-Cyw, after putting them for sale on auction website eBay, even though they did not exist.

Bridgend Magistrates’ Court heard the 33-year-old, who has since moved to Devon, asked three buyers to send cheques to his home address and then cashed the cheques, worth £835 in total, between July and December 2006.

The court heard the buyers reported him to police when they did not receive the items and officers tracked him down to Heol-y-Cyw.

Howell admitted three counts of obtaining property by deception.

Richard Paull, prosecuting, told the court: “Quite simply what Mr Howell has done is he advertised certain goods in eBay as being for sale and he received inquiries about these goods and bidders have been successful on the website.

“He has then received cheques to the value from people wishing to purchase them and he banked the money. The goods were fictitious.

“He simply made them up in order to receive cheques from people thinking they were buying goods when they did not exist.

“He was basically tracked down by police and he was arrested and he admitted all three offences.”

Gwyn Davies, defending, said Howell’s life was in “free-fall” and he had been hospitalised after taking an overdose around 18 months before.

“He had been married for three years and that marriage was breaking down,” he said.

“He subsequently lost his job and as a result of losing the job he fell into a rather deep depression.

“He was in a downward spiral at the time the offences happened.

“He offered goods for sale simply in order to raise funds.”

Mr Davies said Howell had since turned his life around and was now in a new relationship, living in Devon and working as a gas meter fitter.

“The fact is he deeply regrets these offences,” he said.

“He is very sorry to the three individuals.”

Howell was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 200 hours’ unpaid work.

He ordered him to pay £835 compensation with £50 costs and for Howell’s computer, which was seized by police, to be destroyed.