AN ONLINE fraudster who convinced his victims to send him large sums of cash or part with valuable jewellery and antiques has been jailed.

James Lawrence Knight was put behind bars for 32 months after admitting a total of 33 fraud offences

A number of the charges related to the 29-year-old offering items for sale on Gumtree and other online selling sites.

He secured payment from his victims but never actually providing the items.

On other occasions he persuaded his victims to send him goods, but did not provide the money he had promised in exchange.

The offences occurred between October 2019 and March 2020.

The defendant defrauded his victims of up to £1,380 for goods that they never received. Items he persuaded his victims to part with included a pocket watch valued at £2,300, an antique microphone worth £1,950 and a Rolex watch valued at £1,800.

Knight, of Fenway Close, Wimborne, sent his victims photos of his passport and other proof of identity documents to persuade them to pay him the money before receiving their items or to part with their goods before they received the funds.

It was through these photos and documents that Knight was identified and following enquiries he was arrested on Wednesday 6 May 2020.

Knight was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, September 18 after admitting 14 charges of fraud by false representation. He also asked for a further 19 offences to be taken into consideration when he was sentenced.

DC Christian Bryant, of Dorset Police’s Priority Crime Team, said: “James Knight targeted a large number of victims across the country over a period of several months.

“I am pleased that through our investigation we were able to identify Knight and bring him before the court to face the consequences of his offending.”