A trainee engineer has been sentenced after attempting to use a Tory MP's credit card details to buy a designer coat worth almost £1,000.
A fraudulent copy was made of health minister Nadine Dorries’ card and an attempted transaction carried out in October 2019, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
While the transaction was unsuccessful, a phone number and email address were given, which led defendant Cory Chin to be tracked down.
The 24-year-old of Palmerston Road, Walthamstow, had pleaded guilty last month to attempting to use the MP’s Lloyds credit card details on October 16 2019 to buy a Canada Goose coat worth £958.
He was handed a 12-month community order when he was sentenced on Wednesday, requiring him to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard Chin had not been involved in obtaining the card details, but "takes full responsibility for his behaviour" in trying to use them and expressed "sincere remorse".
He was described as a "well-educated and hardworking young man" and the hearing was told he was a trainee engineer with a large telecoms firm.
Chin had "no idea" who Ms Dorries was and did not specifically target her as an MP, the court was told.
Sentencing him, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said: "This was a deliberate attempt to use the details of a bank card which you knew belonged to someone else to obtain a luxury item for yourself.”
She said it was acknowledged "no actual financial loss was suffered by the complainant" and that Chin had shown "genuine remorse" and accepted the "distress and inconvenience" his actions had caused.
He was also ordered to pay £175 in costs within the next 28 days.
A second man, Korri McLean, is due to be sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on a date not yet set.
The 30-year-old, of Rayfield in Epping, was also convicted last month of one count of fraud by false representation in using the MP’s card details to buy goods to the value of £1,080.
Ms Dorries said: "This kind of sophisticated technology enabled theft can affect anyone and I am so grateful to the police for arresting these criminals."
Detective Constable Warren Joseph, from the City of London Police, said: "Today’s result is a great example of the whole system coming together to tackle fraud effectively.
"Through the good work of the banks and the online retail industry to prevent suspicious transactions, the victim in this case is not out of pocket. Despite this, Ms Dorries, correctly, still made a report to Action Fraud, which meant we were able to track down those responsible for the offence and bring them before the courts."
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