eBay conman faked his own death

A MAN who faked his own death after ripping off eBay customers was jailed for two years yesterday.

Jason Hart, 33, called his local newspaper claiming to be his own father, to say his son had died in a blaze at the family home after saving his parents from the flames.

The reporter at the Bolton Evening News was taken in by the caller and the paper printed a front-page article headlined “Tragedy of blaze hero”.

But Hart, who admitted fraud and perjury, was alive and well, and used the ruse to put-off customers who had paid him £23,500 (€26,170) for goods he never had to sell, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Hart, from Moorside Avenue, Farnworth, near Bolton, showered thousands of pounds worth of gifts on then girlfriend, nurse Louise Gregory, after receiving payment from eBay buyers.

One victim got his parents to fly from New Zealand to France for the Rugby World Cup finals after paying Hart for tickets to a match. The tickets never arrived.

He took money from at least 28 buyers in Britain and across the world, “selling” Xbox consoles, mobile phones, watches and tickets to Test matches, rugby games, the Ryder Cup and pop concerts.

When customers rang him for the goods, he came up with a series of excuses, Alaric Bassano, prosecuting, told the court. He said he was in Canada, that his mother had died and he also referred callers to the fact Jason Hart was dead — and referred them to the article in the local paper.