A Fife man went on a spending spree with a someone else’s bank cards, running up a bill of over £25,000 in the space of a few hours.
Faisal Raza, 21, from Kirkcaldy, went to cash and carry stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh spending thousands of pounds on cigarettes.
Then he went to shops in Livingston running up another big bill on perfume and other goods.
Raza was found guilty of stealing money from cash machines and obtaining goods by fraud after a four-day trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.
He admitted being at the various locations throughout central Scotland but denied any wrong-doing, blaming another man who was with him and whose whereabouts are unknown.
However, a jury found him guilty that on December 30 at St Clair Street, West Vows Walk, Craigfoot Walk, all Kirkcaldy, or elsewhere while acting with another person, he reset bank cards which had been obtained by theft.
Also, that on various occasions between December 30 and 31 at the Maybury Casino, Edinburgh, and Sainsburys, Pollokshields, Glasgow, he stole £1200 from ATM’s by using a bank card.
On various occasions on December 31 at the premises of Bestway Batleys Cash and Carry, Glasgow, Bestway Batleys cash and carry, Edinburgh, The Perfume Shop, USC and Schuh, all Livingstone, while acting with another person, Raza pretended to employees that he was the true owner of bank cards for payment of goods to the value of £24,526.17 and obtained these goods by fraud.
The trial saw CCTV images of Raza and the other man clearing shelves of cigarettes at the Glasgow cash and carry arriving around 4.20am and spending over £18,000.
Shop assistant Shakeel Hamed, 41, was in court and identified Raza as the person who was telling the other man which items to take.
At the Schuh store, Raza bought a pair of Timberland boots at £160, which were later recovered by police.
The jury also saw CCTV images of a smiling Raza taking money from an ATM at the Maybury Casino where he was a member.
Police believe the owner of the cards dropped his wallet in street after going to a shop in St Clair Street.
Detectives found CCTV showing a man picking up what is thought to have been the wallet and a short time later it was in the possession of Raza.
In an interview with police shown in court, Raza said his father owned shops including in Kirkcaldy, Burntisland and Kinghorn. His job was picking up items from cash and carry stores.
Raza, of West Vows Walk, committed the offences while on bail orders from courts across Scotland including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Airdrie and Kirkcaldy sheriff courts.
Sheriff Craig McSherry called for reports and Raza, who was appearing from custody, will return for sentencing on June 8.
