Two fraudsters who went on a massive Harrods spending spree with a stolen debit card have been spared jail.
Felix Olowo-Ofayoko, 29, and Alga Zola, 32, splurged £33,000 at the famous Knightsbridge store in the run up to Christmas last year.
Olowo-Ofayoko spent around £20,000 while Zola splashed £13,000 on clothing and retail items on the same stolen Barclays card on December 21.
They were caught out when returning to the scene of the crime days later but left with suspended sentences at Southwark Crown Court.
Both men admitted the fraud last month and are thought to have been part of a wider group of fraudsters.
The card they used is believed to have been used for a total of £58,000 fraudulent transactions in eight days and none of the stolen items have been recovered.
The judge, Mr Recorder Mr Anthony Dinkin QC spared the pair jail in favour of carrying out unpaid work.
The judge said: ‘No excuse has really been put forward in my judgement for these offences other than one of financial gain.’
The court heard how both men were struggling financially and that this may have been the reason behind their offending.
‘That may be so but that does not justify becoming involved in fraud in this way,’ the judge responded.
‘Opportunistic it may be but nevertheless this was a serious offence of substantial value.
‘I hope that all the expressions that I have heard of remorse and realisation that this is not the way to behave are true and that this is the last time you will be seen before these courts.
‘You now have the opportunity to put these matters behind you, serve your unpaid work and hopefully that will be the end of the matter.’
Neither man showed any reaction upon hearing the sentence and they made swift exits from the court once allowed out of the dock.
Each of them must now carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and pay £250 in prosecution costs.
Amanda McCabe, prosecuting, said: ‘The fraud came to light when the fraud department at Barclay’s Bank contacted Harrods to tell them the card had been stolen.’
The fraudsters returned to the store on Boxing Day – Olowo-Ofayoko with his six-year-old daughter – but were recognised by staff.
‘Both defendants were recognised from CCTV footage from the first incident,’ said Ms McCabe.
The owner of the debit card had reported their card lost on December 18 and ordered a new one.
That card never made it to the new owner and it somehow found it’s way into the hands of Olowo-Ofayoko and Zola.
‘There were an number of fraudulent transactions on the bank card, the Crown can definitively say the defendants are responsible for the transactions at Harrods.
‘The card was used for a total of £58,000 and the two defendants spent upwards of £30,000 on it at Harrods.’
The exact figure stolen by the pair was given as £33,135 while the rest of the money is yet to be accounted for in court.
Tuned Okewale (corr) MBE, defending, said Olowo-Ofayoko had made a ‘silly choice’ and described him as someone who ‘lacks consequential thinking skills’.
The court heard he has a previous conviction from 2008 for stealing from him employer while father-of-three Zola has no prior convictions.
Nadeem Karbhari, for Zola, said: ‘These two were in effect acting for others higher up the chain.’
He claimed they had merely played a ‘peripheral role’ but this was rejected by the judge.
Both men were given equal sentences as the judge ruled they were just as culpable as each other.
Olowo-Ofayoko, of Kerry Road, Deptford, southeast London, admitted fraud by false representation to the value of £20,000.
Zola, of Mill Harbour, Isle of Dogs, pleaded guilty to the same offence to the value of £13,000.
They were each sentenced to eight months suspended for two years, must carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and pay £250 in prosecution costs.
No order was made for compensation.
