Gang plied drunk reveller with alcohol and used mother's bank cards

‘Heartless’ gang who plied young drunk reveller with alcohol and drove him around Manchester plundering his mother’s bank cards then spent £7,800 at Thomas Cook, Amazon and Harvey Nichols are spared jail

• Janice D’Aguilar, 54, Zeno Sharif, 29, Isaiah Thompson, 29, and Gemma Green, 35, were all spared jail at Manchester Crown Court
• Took advantage of drunk reveller – who cannot remember 18 hours of the experience – drove him around and withdrew his money from mother’s account
• Bought two Canada Goose coats worth more than £800 from Harvey Nichols
• Mother left £7.8k out of pocket and son felt suicidal and needed medical help

A ‘heartless’ gang of crooks took advantage of a drunk reveller, driving him around Manchester for hours and plundering thousands of pounds of his mother’s savings on ‘pointless luxuries’. 

The man’s family reported him missing to police, after he ‘disappeared’ for up to 18 hours. 

He was plied with more alcohol to keep him intoxicated as they withdrew money from cash machines, transferred thousands out of his mum’s account and went on a spending spree. 

Manchester Crown Court heard that there was an 18 hour gap in his memory after becoming separated from his friends on a night out in 2017 – and ended up meet ing the gang.

During thre spending spree they even bought two high end Canada Goose coats worth more than £800 from Harvey Nichols. 

Janice D’Aguilar, 54, Zeno Sharif, 29, Isaiah Thompson, 29, and Gemma Green, 35, were told they were ‘extremely fortunate’ not to be jailed. 

A ‘heartless’ gang of crooks took advantage of a drunk reveller, driving him around Manchester for hours and plundering thousands of pounds of his mother’s savings on ‘pointless luxuries’. Pictured: Janice D’Aguilar, 54, (left) and Gemma Green, 35 (right)

The mum has been left £7,800 out of pocket, while her son, in his early 20s, felt suicidal and needed medical help. 

‘That young man had family and friends who were so worried about him that they reported him missing to the police,’ a judge told the gang. 

‘There is an 18 hour gap in his memory, where he knows that strangers abused him. Anything could have happened to him in that period.’ 

Canada Goose coats, petrol and holidays: Gang’s ‘pointless’ £7k spending spree 

Thursday October 19, 2017 

1.30am: £33 worth of petrol was bought at Asda.

1.50am:  £250 was withdrawn from a cash machine in Rusholme

Friday October 20, 2017 

9.50am: Nearly £500 was spent at Thomas Cook in Droylsden 

10.50am: Eight Amazon gift cards worth £100 each were bought from Tesco in Stretford, with £50 cashback also being claimed

11.42am: £40 cash was withdrawn in Altrincham, 

12.30pm: £800 in vouchers were bought from a ‘premium menswear and footwear shop’ in the town.

1pm: Another £20 was withdrawn in Sale, before Sharif and D’Aguilar bought two Canada Goose jackets worth more than £800 from Harvey Nichols in Manchester city centre. Another card belonging to the mum was used to withdraw £1,800 from Natwest in Middleton.

Bank transfers of £3,000 and £1,400 were withdrawn from the mum’s account.

About £2,600 of the loss was blocked, so the mum was left out of pocket to the tune of about £7,800.

The victim had been out in Manchester city centre with friends but became separated from them in the early hours of October 18, 2017. 

‘One of you realised he was vulnerable enough for you to exploit him,’ the judge, Recorder Abigail Hudson said. 

The gang, who ‘knew each other very well’, then ‘befriended’ him. He has little recollection of what happened, but had memories of being in a car and being allowed out to go to the toilet. 

He was given alcohol to keep him intoxicated, prosecutor David Pojur told Manchester Crown Court. 

The next thing he remembered was returning home at about 6pm, and he had to be taken to hospital as he felt cold and unwell. He couldn’t remember how he got home.

Prosecutors were able to piece together his movements through credit card transactions made on his mother’s bank cards, which she had lent him. Just after 1.30am, £33 worth of petrol was bought at Asda. 

Then 20 minutes later, £250 was withdrawn from a cash machine in Rusholme. The following morning, the spending spree began. 

Nearly £500 was spent at Thomas Cook in Droylsden at 9.50am, and about an hour later eight Amazon gift cards worth £100 each were bought from Tesco in Stretford, with £50 cashback also being claimed. 

At 11.42am £40 cash was withdrawn in Altrincham, and at about 45 minutes later £800 in vouchers were bought from a ‘premium menswear and footwear shop’ in the town. 

Another £20 was withdrawn in Sale at 1pm, before Sharif and D’Aguilar bought two Canada Goose jackets worth more than £800 from Harvey Nichols in Manchester city centre. 

Another card belonging to the mum was used to withdraw £1,800 from Natwest in Middleton. Bank transfers of £3,000 and £1,400 were withdrawn from the mum’s account. 

About £2,600 of the loss was blocked, so the mum was left out of pocket to the tune of about £7,800. Thompson was pulled over by police in Whalley Range about two weeks later, by officers concerned about his driving. All four defendants admitted fraud. 

Prosecutors said Green’s involvement related to the transferring of the £3,000 and £1,400 sums. Thompson was said to been the driver of the car. 

The court heard how the victim has been left traumatised. ‘He is fearful of Manchester city centre, and avoids going where possible,’ Mr Pojur said. 

The man’s family reported him missing to police, after he ‘disappeared’ for up to 18 hours. Pictured: Zeno Sharif, 29, (left) Isaiah Thompson, 29 (right)

He has suffered from anxiety, depression and had suicidal thoughts, and was given anti-depressants and sleeping tablets. His mother ‘was very worried and stressed’ about her son ‘disappearing’. 

‘The theft of her savings and the clearing of her account has caused her great stress and anxiety,’ Mr Pojur said. 

Sentencing, the judge described the offences as being ‘mean’ and ‘heartless’, and showing a ‘complete lack of respect for other people’. 

She said they had been ‘simply frittering away her (the mum’s) hard earned cash on pointless luxuries’. Thompson’s barrister said he was a ‘very different’ person now compared with when the offence occurred. 

He has had a child and works two jobs, and his remorseful, Joshua Bowker said. D’Aguilar, a grandmother, is ‘thoroughly ashamed’ of herself, her barrister Brian Williams said. 

‘There is no explanation, there is nothing that the defendant can say which can justify this kind of behaviour,’ he said. Sharif is contrite and wants to repay the money, his barrister Nick Clarke said. 

He was given alcohol to keep him intoxicated, prosecutor David Pojur told Manchester Crown Court (pictured)

Stuart Duke, for Green, said she didn’t personally profit and had a ‘lesser role’. Speaking of Green, a mother, Mr Duke said: ‘She very much regrets allowing herself to be involved in this enterprise.’ 

All four defendants received suspended prison sentences. Thompson, of Unwin Avenue, Gorton, was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years, and must complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days. 

D’Aguilar, of Erin Street, Openshaw, was sentenced to 20 months in jail, suspended for two years, and must complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and observe a curfew for six months. 

Sharif, of Grinton Avenue, Longsight, was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years, and must complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days. 

Green, of South Crescent, Clayton, was sentenced to 15 months in jail, suspended for two years, and must complete 250 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days. 

Thompson and Sharif were ordered to pay back £250 a month in compensation, with £7,800 set to go to the mum and £1,200 to her son.

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