A MAN man conned people on internet auction site eBay out of more than £600 by “selling” mobile phones he did not have.

Mark Proctor advertised phones and accepted four bids but customers never received the goods.

Proctor, 21, of Peel Park Close, Clitheroe, admitted four offences of deception and was given a 12-month community order, including 180 hours of unpaid work, by Preston Crown Court.

The case prompted a warning about the dangers of buying goods over the internet.

Susan Statham, prosecuting, said the defendant contacted people who put in bids for the phones and advised them how to send payment.

A total of £643 was obtained, one person ordering two phones but none ever received the goods, she said.

The defendant told police he did not have the phones at the time he advertised them on eBay but, given time, he would have supplied them.

The offences took place in July and August last year.

Proctor was arrested in January, but no phones had been forwarded by then.

Judge Philip Sycamore ordered Proctor to pay £643 compensation, plus £300 prosecution costs.

Posted: 09|9|06 at 6:37 am. Filed under: UK News.