A Pembroke Dock man who tricked 30 “customers” into buying mobile telephones he did not have has been made the subject of a suspended prison sentence and told to carry out unpaid work for the community.

Luke Woodward, aged 22, of Grove Street, advertised on the Gumtree website offering handsets at up to £360 each.

He admitted eight offences of fraud and asked for 22 similar offences to be taken into consideration.

The judge at Swansea crown court, Mr Recorder Chris Clee, jailed Woodward for 12 months but suspended the sentence for 18 months.

He was also placed under supervision for 12 months, told to attend a thinking skills course and to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

Woodward banked £4,650 before he was caught.

Magistrates in Swansea had been told that Woodward had used the bank account of a woman living in Clydach, near Swansea, to carry out the fraud, but she was not accused of being involved.

Woodward charged customers between £150 and £360 each but did not deliver any of the telephones.

Woodward asked his victims to send money by bank transfer or pay it into the account.

One of the victims paid for a Christmas present for his daughter, but it did not arrive.

Woodward had been traced and arrested after complaints were made to a national fraud hotline and officers from Neath CID began investigating.