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Football Christmas hamper conman guilty

A conman who tricked former England manager Sam Allardyce and striker Andy Carroll out of thousands of pounds has been convicted of fraud.

Stephen Ackerman, 48, from Loughton, Essex, was found guilty of 18 counts of fraud totalling more than £60,000

He visited West Ham football club's training ground to sell players and backroom staff luxury Christmas hampers in December 2014.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard £13,270 was taken from Mr Allardyce.

Ackerman will be sentenced later this month.

Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce was one of those who lost money

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Ackerman, who went by the name Mark Kingston, took payment for the hampers using a handheld chip and pin device.