A card fraudster appeared to have grown bored of listening to the lawyers as he appeared before a circuit judge accused of 20 separate charges.
Daniel Hone, 31, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of using stolen bank cards fraudulently, four charges of handling stolen goods and possession of heroin and crack cocaine.
Appearing before Oxford Crown Court via video link from HMP Bullingdon, he leant forward to speak directly into the microphone each time he spoke to enter his guilty plea.
Towards the end of the hearing, as the lawyers spoke about where the offences fell in the sentencing guidelines for fraud, Hone appeared to lose interest in the proceedings.
Dressed in a grey tracksuit, he got up, turned his back to the camera and stood at the door to the video conferencing room.
“I’m not quite sure why we’re seeing the back view of the defendant,” Judge Maria Lamb said, having seemingly noticed the defendant’s back before the lawyers.
“But anyway, I will adjourn this case until September 9 and I will adjourn for a pre-sentence report. The fact I am adjourning the case and allowing for a pre-sentence report doesn’t hold out any indication what will happen on the next occasion.”
The charges Hone pleaded guilty to are as follows:
Fraud by false representation
- June 5, using stolen debit card at the BP garage in Oxford Road to make a gain of £34 and £28
- June 10, made a false representation that he was entitled to use another’s debit card to withdraw £200 from Barclays bank and withdraw £170
- June 10, twice fraudulently used another’s Barclaycard at the Shell garage in Cowley
- July 14, twice made a false representation that he was entitled to use another’s debit card to withdraw £500 at HSBC bank
- July 14, used the stolen bank card to pay for £10.97-worth of food at the McDonalds restaurant in Cornmarket
- July 14, made a false representation that he was entitled to Starling Bank that he was entitled to use another’s bank card
- July 14, used a stolen card to withdraw £20
- July 14, made a false representation to withdraw £10 from a Halifax ATM
- July 14, made a false representation to HSBC that he was entitled to use another’s card
He pleaded guilty to handling the stolen cards belonging to four different victims on June 5, June 10 and July 14. The cards were all used soon after they were stolen in house break-ins.
Hone also admitted possession of heroin and crack cocaine in Oxford on July 20.
The defendant accepted being in breach of an eight week suspended sentence imposed last year at Solihull and Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
Read more from this author
This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward