A Manchester fraudster dubbed ‘The Rat’ who pawned his mum’s jewellery after squandering a private education to forge a criminal career as a callous conman was back behind bars today.
Company director’s son Amrik Gill, 27, rejected his good family upbringing and eight GCSEs to repeatedly dupe people into giving him money in a series of cruel scams.
Since 2009 he has been to jail at least five times for ripping off football and rock music fans who paid their savings over to Gill in the belief he had match and concert tickets – only for him to pocket the cash.
The jailbird villain has shown no remorse for his frauds and would even boast on Twitter of his prison stretches including the brag: ‘Just had the best holiday ever. Would like to thank the taxpayer for making it possible’.
He also copied football bad-boy Mario Balotelli by baring his chest on social media to show the question: ”Why always me?” written across his torso. When he posted a selfie on Facebook while wearing a pink onesie, one pal joked: ”New prison uniform?”
In the latest offence Gill looted his own mother’s jewellery box and pawned 13 gems including gold rings, earrings and necklaces, for £2719 – so he could fitter it away playing internet gambling games in online casinos.
Today Gill’s long suffering family washed their hands of him as he was locked away for another six months – his sixth jail term – after he admitted theft and fraud.
His mother Bridget Gill, 52, declined to comment at the family’s semi-detached home at Chorlton, Manchester. But in a statement read to Manchester Crown Court she said: ”I have done everything I can for my son.
”I have provided him with everything he has ever needed and I was devastated he could steal all those items. I can’t deal with this anymore and need him to sort himself out as it’s destroying my family.”
Gill, whose father runs a computer business, appeared to be a normal happy youngster in family photographs posted on Facebook.
He attended 900 pupil St Bedes College in Manchester where fees cost £9,180 a year.
Ex-pupils include Dr Who actor Colin Baker and folk singer Mike Harding and their Latin motto –Nunquam Otio Torpebat – means: ”He never relaxed in idleness.”
Gill got a good set of GCSE results and began taking A Levels but it is thought he dropped out.
He briefly got a job a part time security guard at Manchester City’s Etihad stadium then in 2008 began his life of crime.
He would use Facebook and Gumtree to lure people into paying for tickets he falsely claimed to have for Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City games as well as tickets for live shows and music festivals.
During six years of scamming Gill bragged of his frauds being ‘easy’ and pocketed up to £20,000.
They would send up to £200 a time into a network of bank accounts he set up on the web – only to get no tickets in return.
Inquiries revealed Gill used a string of false names and changed his log in account details on social networking sites in order to pose as a legitimate seller without being found out through cursory checks.
Victims were usually students and other people who had saved up for tickets.
In July 2009 Gill who got his nickname due to his rodent like facial feature, and was jailed for four months after offering football tickets he did not have to fans before pocketing payments.
Then in October 2010 he was jailed again for eight months after targeting United fans with false promises of providing match tickets.
In 2011 he was given 12 months again when he conned £200 from a supporter looking for tickets for the FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Stoke.
In March 2012 he was jailed for a further six months for conning two fans searching for tickets for the Carling Cup Final.
The following November he was served with a Serious Crime Prevention Order after he falsely claimed to have tickets for a Manchester United v Liverpool match, V Festival and Six Nations rugby.
He then conned Blues supporters on a Manchester City fans forum out of £335.
The order banned him from online banking and having contact with online sellers and buyers and opening more than one bank account.
But in January last year he was jailed for a further 18 months after targeting concert goers with another ticket scam.
He had been released on licence in August last year but stole from his mother when she allowed him back into the family home.
After a string of rows last April about household items disappearing, Mrs Gill noticed her jewellery was missing and when she confronted her son, he admitted pawning it.
He initially falsely denied having any receipts but eventually lifted up his bedroom mattress and handed them over.
It is believed police recovered the stolen jewellery without Mrs Gill having to pay the £4,000 pawnbrokers’ sale price.
In mitigation Gill’s lawyer Paul Humphries said: ”His problem is his gambling. He didn’t intend her to lose the jewellery, he intended to win.
”He has at the current time lost the support of the family but he’s hopeful he will be able to rekindle the relationship. He is sorry for what he has done – this is as low as he can sink. He needs help to come up from the bottom.”
But passing sentence the judge Mr Recorder Charles Garside QC, said the offences were ‘mean and nasty’.
After the case a neighbour said: ”The Gills are a lovely family but Amrik is nothing but a menace and a low life.
“They have given him chance after chance to make something of himself in life and yet he has just thrown it all back in their faces.”
