Six guilty in mobile phone conspiracy case told they face jail

Six young people from London have been warned they face jail after they each admitted a string of conspiracy charges linked to the purchase of mobile phones.

All six defendants – who flew from England to Northern Ireland to attend Belfast Crown Court – pleaded guilty to a total of six charges committed on November 23rd, 2013.

They are 21-year old Akin Akinlabi, 21-year old Dawn Nicole Correa, Ashani Imbert (19), 20-year old Danielle McMahon, Titina Karla Morais (20) and 22-year old Feras Ibrahim Suleman, all from Essex.

Each defendant was charged with conspiring together to defraud the Vodafone Store at Donegall Place in Belfast by dishonestly using false details to purchase six mobile phones to a total value of £3,300. When the charge was put to each defendant, they all replied “guilty”.

All six also admitted five similar charges where a total of 25 mobile phones were purchasing using false details. The businesses in question were the O2 Stores at Victoria Square, Castle Court and Castle Lane in Belfast as well as the Vodafone Store in Victoria Square and the Carphone Warehouse in Castle Court. The total money involved in these five charges amounts to almost £14,000.

In addition, Suleman and Correa were both charged and pleaded guilty to an additional offence of conspiring to defraud the O2 Shop at Junction One in Antrim by dishonestly using false details to purchase three Apple iPhones each valued at about £629.99.

Legal representatives for all six asked that they be released on continuing bail until sentencing, which is scheduled for next month.

Defence counsel for Correa said his client – who was aware of the serious nature of the offending – was a single mother to a five-year old daughter and would benefit from a pre-sentence report.

Imbert’s solicitor asked for bail on the grounds she is a witness in a court case in London. He added Imbert had two jobs, one of which was an administrator at a school in London.

A solicitor representing Morais spoke of difficulties within her family, and said she provided a supporting role for her younger sister.

McMahon’s solicitor said his client was a second-year accounts and finance student at London University, and asked that bail be granted to allow her to sit an exam later this week.

Suleman’s defence counsel pointed out that whilst the offences were committed over 14 months ago, neither Suleman – who recently qualified from university – nor any of his co-defendants had committed any further offending.

Defence counsel for Akinlabi requested bail on the grounds his client could continue working which would allow him to “produce some restitution”.

Judge Gordon Kerr agreed to release all six on bail, but told the court: “They have to realise that organised conspiracy to defraud leads inevitably to one sentence.”

Adding “if they had any sense, they could have started serving their sentence now”, Judge Kerr told them they were free to go – but warned them that “the likely sentence in this case is imprisonment.”

All six were told to return to Belfast on February 11th for sentencing.