The 'devastation' behind man's £11,000 trafford centre and selfridges' splurge

GAVIN BUTTERS TARGETED A RECENTLY WIDOWED LANCASHIRE MAN, FORCING HIM TO FOOT THE BILL FOR A LUXURY SPLURGE AT SHOPS 11:52, 20 May 2025 A conman impersonated a police officer to steal bank

cards from pensioners before blowing £40,000 on a shopping spree - including over £10,000 at Selfridges and the Trafford Centre. Gavin Butters was part of a group of fraudsters who

heartlessly targeted a dozen vulnerable and elderly victims nationwide, leaving them to cover the cost of his luxury spending at shops such as John Lewis and Apple stores. The 27-year-old

was described as the "leg man" of the operation, visiting the homes of the victims to collect their debit cards after the scam had been arranged over the phone. He also stole

jewellery worth nearly £10,000 from one couple, including deceased parents' wedding rings. Liverpool Crown Court heard that an unidentified caller - not said to be Butters - would

contact victims pretending to be a police officer, claiming they had already fallen prey to scammers. The defendant would then visit their homes to collect their bank cards under the false

pretence that they needed to be examined for the fingerprints of those who had supposedly used them fraudulently. Prosecutor Christopher Hopkins detailed how Butters would then use these

cards to buy "high value goods" and withdraw cash. He added: "The victims were often elderly people who were harassed and badgered by the fraudster on the phone. "In one

sense, the defendant was the leg man. He took the risk. In another sense, the fraud could not have operated without him. He had a critical role. On one occasion, he identified himself as a

police officer in order to fraudulently obtain a card." THOUSANDS SPENT ON VICTIMS' CARDS One victim, an 86-year-old man from Carnforth whose wife had recently died, was contacted

on January 4 this year by a caller who claimed to be "investigating potential fraud" on behalf of Scotland Yard and stated that his bank card would need to be checked for

fingerprints. Butters then arrived at his Lancashire home within 10 minutes in order to collect said card, which was then used to make £7,745 of purchases at the Apple store in the Trafford

Centre. A 75-year-old man from St Helens was then targeted the following day in a similar manner, with his card subsequently being used to make transactions totalling £4,000 at Selfridges in

Manchester. One woman, also in her 70s, was warned that she would be arrested if she failed to cooperate before her card was taken and used to make £5,896 of purchases at John Lewis in High

Wycombe and another Apple store in Reading. Another was kept on the phone for several hours by the fraudulent caller before her card was used to make £12,641 of transactions at Currys and

the Apple store in Derby, as well as at other shops in Sheffield and Leeds. Butters, of Ringwood Road in Bradford, also called at the home of an 84-year-old woman and her 86-year-old husband

in Yorkshire on January 9 and told them that he was "from the police forensics team", although they "became suspicious" of his behaviour and did not ultimately hand any

items over on this occasion. A brother and sister who lived on a mobile home park in Scunthorpe were then targeted, with the former's details being used in order to make an application

for a £5,000 loan. The 75-year-old was also fleeced out of £6,217 in the form of fraudulent transactions, with the bank card belonging to his 80-year-old sibling meanwhile being used to make

£3,647 of purchases at stores in Barnsley and Sheffield. The caller would go on to tell a 74-year-old couple from Runcorn that "local people had been robbed and had their fingers cut

off" after falling victim to the supposed scammers. Butters would go on to make transactions totalling £941.30 using their cards but also stole £9,930 of jewellery from them, including

the wedding rings which had belonged to the wife's late parents and a gold watch which the husband had been given for 25 years of service at Rylands wireworks in Warrington. Another

74-year-old woman, from Manchester, was also targeted by the conmen but refused to hand over her cards as he was unable to provide identification. One of the complainants said in a statement

which was read to the court on her behalf: "I think of myself as an intelligent and savvy lady in her 70s and never thought I'd fall for a scam, but it took me by surprise.

"It left me feeling very vulnerable, nervous, stupid and alone. I wonder what the people involved would think if it was one of their mothers or grandmothers." Butters has four

previous convictions for seven offences, including being sent to prison for possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply in 2016 and 2022. Abdul Shakoor, defending, told the court:

"He is the one that was expendable. He was the one that was exposed to that risk, and if he got caught then they probably would not be that bothered. "He accrued a debt over a

period of time of several thousands of pounds, and he was offered a way out by getting involved in this criminality. Regrettably, he took that opportunity and now finds himself back in

custody. "He regrets his involvement. He recognises that he must be punished. He wishes to serve his sentence and move on with his life. He has responsibilities, which he accepts that

he has not taken care of in committing these offences. "They are, in particular, in relation to his three step-children. He has been with his partner for three years. He has been acting

as a father figure in the household at times when he has not been in custody. He does wish to set a better example for them in the future. "He has recently discovered that he has

fathered two of his own children, two twins aged eight. He does wish to be able, in the future, to have a role in their lives. "His mother is unwell. She suffers from arthritis and is

not able work. He has not been able look after her. He was trying to provide for his family. Ultimately, it has led to no good for him. "He suffers from depression and anxiety. Once he

gets released, he hopes to take action in relation to that so that he can be a more useful member of society. He has previously worked in the removals business, and, at one time, had a 50

per cent share in a removals business. This is what he is motivated to do when he is released." 'THIS IS A DEVASTATING CRIME' Butters admitted a total of nine counts of fraud

by false representation. Appearing in the dock wearing a grey Under Armour tracksuit and glasses, he was jailed for 33 months. Sentencing, Recorder Carwyn Cox said: "While it is not

suggested that you were the organiser of this fraudulent activity, you were the man who was sent to do the collections. The description of this whole type of fraud as a courier fraud seems

to be most appropriate as to what you were doing when instructed by others higher up the chain. "What appears to have happened is that someone, not you, contacted them and told them

they were at risk of or had already been the victim of fraudulent activity. They were persuaded to hand over bank cards and other financial documents, and, in one case, jewellery, to you.

"Those individuals clearly have suffered significant anxiety and distress as a result of the activities which you undertook. All describe a sense of feeling vulnerable and unsafe in

their own homes. "There were a significant number of victims. I cannot ignore the fact that we are dealing with a total of 12 victims in this case. I cannot find any significant

mitigating features." Butters was also handed a restraining order which will ban him from contacting some of his victims for 10 years. Merseyside Police's Detective Inspector Paul

Gillies said following the sentencing: "This is a devastating crime, as people have been tricked into thinking they can trust a policeman who has deliberately set about defrauding and

conning them. Article continues below "We know there were a string of victims who had the courage to come forward and stop Butters. However, there may be others who have been targeted

and feel like they cannot come forward for reasons of confusion, embarrassment or shame. Butters' courier fraud was extremely convincing, as he sounded genuine and span a complex web of

lies designed to trick the victims into withdrawing and handing over large quantities of cash."