A man landed in court for pretending to be a chef so he could get a loan for a car.
Oliver Wortley, 38, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court after he admitted committing fraud to buy an Audi A3 as well as possessing 545g of cannabis.
Wortley was arrested in April 2020 when police discovered the Class B drug haul in his Blaenau Gwent home. The arrest resulted in "an investigation into him and his lifestyle", said prosecutor Jeff Jones.
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Officers discovered Wortley, of Railway Street in Llanhilleth, had bought a £12,500 Audi in July 2018 when he told a car finance company he had worked full-time as a hotel chef for the previous six years.
Police obtained evidence from HMRC that Wortley had lied about working as a chef. But the car remains with the defendant who made each of his loan repayments as scheduled.
In the drug raid police seized £2,400 in cash from Wortley's home. He was accused of intending to supply the cannabis found in the property but he was acquitted last month by a jury.
Wortley pleaded guilty to possession and admitted he "had been in the habit of growing his own cannabis", Mr Jones told the court. He has previous convictions for common assault, criminal damage, and dangerous driving.
Jenny Yeo, mitigating, said: "I think this involvement with the criminal justice system has been a turning point for the defendant. He is now much more aware of how he can become a productive, law-abiding member of society. You will see he has been very apologetic and polite.
"There was no intent to cause loss with the fraud and the loan was paid regularly throughout... He is not using cannabis at all anymore."
Passing sentence Recorder Duncan Bould said he could not see any evidence of loss to the finance company, adding the case could have been dealt with in a magistrates' court if not for the jury trial.
The judge told Wortley to continue to engage with mental health services so he does not "fall foul of criminal law again". He told the defendant to complete a two-year community order with 25 rehabilitation activity days and pay £200 in prosecution costs.
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