A man who styled himself as the “Kardashian of Cheshire” defrauded over £200,000 from friends and family in a fake designer handbag scheme, Chester Crown Court has heard.
Jack Watkin, 26, of Alderley Edge, persuaded those close to him — including his father — to loan him large sums of money on the promise of either financial returns or access to luxury items. Instead, he spent the funds on extravagant personal indulgences, including shopping sprees at Harrods and a hotel bill of more than £100,000 at The Dorchester in London.
On the second day of his trial, Watkin pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud. Judge Simon Berkson told him to expect a prison sentence. He will be sentenced on September 3.
During the police investigation, officers also uncovered indecent images of children on Watkin’s mobile phone. Although he denied those offences, he was convicted of nine charges, including three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child. In total, Watkin had viewed at least 739 such images, with 274 categorised as Category A — the most serious level.
Detective Constable Gareth Yates said Watkin had constructed a glamorous image on social media, portraying a life of opulence filled with luxury hotels, designer clothing, and high-end vehicles. This carefully curated persona helped him gain trust and manipulate others into handing over money.
One victim, James Irlam, handed over £13,000 after being told that Watkin had a personal connection with a director at Hermès and could acquire rare handbags. Watkin convinced his own father, Jason Watkin, to lend him £24,500. A friend, Hannah Jakes, lost £98,500, while Christine Colbert, the owner of Dress Cheshire, was defrauded of £43,800. Andor Farkas, a barman at Harrods who believed Watkin was a millionaire client, lost £14,000.
Watkin also admitted to defrauding Naheem Akhtar out of £840 for a pair of Loro Piana shoes that never materialised.
DC Yates said the victims were often left significantly out of pocket, while Watkin continued to maintain his illusion of wealth. He added that Watkin often avoided his victims, made repeated excuses, and kept spending heavily to preserve his deceptive image.