A CONVICTED fraudster from Wrexham was back in court yesterday.

He previously masterminded an internet fraud which netted hundreds of pounds by advertising holiday vouchers and tickets to top sport events that he did not have.

Timothy James Franklyn, 25, was released from his prison sentence only to embark on a new fraud – by opening up new ‘Smile’ bank accounts with the Co-op Bank in the names of relatives and former school friends.

They knew nothing about it, the attraction of the Smile accounts was that they had a £500 overdraft facility, and he took the money and paid it into another fictitious account. He netted nearly £6,000.

Franklyn, of Norman Road, admitted seven frauds and the theft of £5,900 – on the basis he was the man who withdrew the cash. But he denied setting it all up himself.

He was jailed for 12 months at Mold Crown Court.

Gordon Hennell, prosecuting, told how the defendant earlier this year applied for a bank account in a false name.

He then opened up further bank accounts in the names of someone he went to school with, a cousin, an aunt, a neighbour and two others he knew from school.

The overdrafts were paid over to the first account that he had opened and he then used the money as his own, Mr Hennell alleged.

Johnathan Duffy, defending, said his client pleaded guilty on the basis he had not set up the fraudulent accounts.

But he accepted he had withdrawn the money but denied he had been responsible for the fraud in the first place.

He had already served three months on remand, he said.

Mr Hennell said whoever set up the accounts, the information clearly came from the defendant who had targetted people he knew.

The losers were the bank and not the individuals concerned, he said.

The court heard he had previously been jailed for 27 months for a fraud which involved people from throughout the country complained that they had paid large amounts for tickets, such as those for the centre court at Wimbledon, and other events, but never received them.

The court heard how adverts for the sale of holiday vouchers and sports tickets were placed on the internet.

North Wales Police received a complaint via the Met from a man who had arranged to buy Thomas Cook travel vouchers through the site, had paid £900, but nothing was ever received.

As enquiries continued, further complaints began to arise from police forces around the country.

Franklin admitted that he had placed the adverts on website where he advertised Thomas Cook holiday vouchers and tickets for sports events.