A former footballer had been jailed for fraud, after imitating a premiere league player in order to maintain his once lavish lifestyle.
Medi Abalimba, who previously earned £4,000 a week with Derby County, fell from glory after an injury that left him unable to play professionally. He was found guilty of 12 counts of fraud after posing as Chelsea star Gael Kakuta, using his name to fund elaborate shopping sprees as wells as visits to top hotels, VIP entry to clubs, and a private helicopter ride from Manchester to London.
He incurred an astounding £50,000 expenditure, using stolen credit cards to buy Cristal Champagne, acquire a chauffeur driven Bentley and rent an £800 a night mansion.
Earlier this year, he ordered £2,600 worth of champagne at a Manchester night club, and managed to defer paying by claiming he left his wallet in his limo.
The alarm was finally raised after Abalimba bought £20,000 worth of clothes from Selfridges, once again posing as Kakuta. Despite displaying his football skills, the store detectives became suspicious and police eventually tracked him to his rented mansion.
After he was arrested he admitted to the offences saying that his previously hefty wage left him with an ‘unrealistic understanding of money’. At the time of his arrest Abalimba was earning £300 a week with Farnborough Town, which he was forced to supplement by also working as a taxi firm controller.
Speaking on the case, Sgt Adam Cronshaw of Greater Manchester Police said: ‘Having spoken with many of the victims in this case it appears that Abalimba is a charming and charismatic individual who was able to call on his previous football experience and the fact he bears some resemblance to the real Gael Kakuta to deceive them.
‘He was able to trick most people he came across and grew in confidence the longer the charade continued. He became so skilled in lies and deceit that his character went from being plausible to unquestionable.
‘Abalimba told us that many of his victims treated him so differently because they thought he was a celebrity footballer. Unfortunately this trust and goodwill was misplaced.
‘While I have some sympathy for the way his career was curtailed, there can be no excuses for the persistent and deliberate frauds that have left numerous people and businesses out of pocket.
‘I’m glad we were able to catch him and prevent further loss to other potential victims as he showed no signs of halting his activity. ‘
Albalimba was sentenced to 4 years in jail on October 22nd.
