George Webb conned shops in Bluewater

A former X Factor contestant has been ordered to do more than 200 hours of community work for masterminding a fraud involving expensive clothes and bleach.

George Webb, formerly of Hillside, Darenth, admitted five counts of fraud committed in September and October last year.

The 28-year-old, who appeared on X Factor and Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, led a scam where he claimed a faulty bleach bottle had spilled onto his clothing to get expensive replacement suits worth more than £1,000.

His co-accused admitted one count of false representation and one of driving dangerously. Two fraud offences were taken into consideration.

Medway magistrates heard she was with Webb when he went into the Marks and Spencer in Tunbridge Wells on September 27.

Webb, a father-of-two who used to restore caravans for a living, also pulled the trick at M&S in Bluewater on September 24 and John Lewis Bluewater two days later.

He returned to the customer services desk at M&S on October 3, claiming the stitching on a suit jacket had come undone and demanded a refund but a member of staff refused, believing it had been undone deliberately.

The scam unravelled later the same day when the pair went to M&S at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre in Gillingham and Webb used the faulty bleach bottle story.

A member of staff recognised it was a scam and told them the clothes would have to be dry cleaned. The pair left the store, but the staff member followed them and tried to stop them leaving the car park.

Webb's co-accused drove towards the worker in a Volkswagen Polo, forcing him to dive out of the way. She tried twice more.

A member of the public saw what was happening and blocked her in. The pair were detained by security and later arrested.

George Webb led a scam that targeted M&S at Bluewater in Greenhithe

His co-accused was sentenced to six months in prison - suspended for a year - disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work at Medway Magistrates' Court.

Webb - who now lives in Singleton, Ashford, and is working at a florist - was sentenced to 250 hours of unpaid work.

The pair, who are distant relatives, will pay back £508 each in compensation.

Magistrate Gordon Waters said: "The overall cost was low, who knows what it would have been if you hadn't been stopped. Your actions raise the bar for customer services and everyone will be treated with suspicion.

"Although the value is low the loss to society is greater."

The pair were sentenced at Medway Magistrates' Court

Luke Meyer, for Webb, said he did not seek to blame anyone else for what had happened.

Mr Meyer said: "For the last couple of years he's had a number of life difficulties. He married outside of the [traveller] community. His marriage broke up in 2010. Much of his family never accepted that he married outside the community.

"He's not committed any further offences. He's suffered various threats from the travelling community. He's feared for his general safety."

Alexander Rozycki, for Webb's co-accused, said the incidents were completely out of character.

He added: "She's aware that her involvement was a terrible mistake."

Referring to the dangerous driving, he said she had no intent to injure anybody: "She was being pursued and described her state of mind as being very fearful. She was just terribly afraid."