A SOUTHAMPTON law student has pleaded guilty to fraud after trying to con thousands of pounds from insurance firms, claiming that his mobile phones were lost.

Sajjad Ahmad, of Avenue Road, admitted trying to claim money for his two handsets, having claimed that he had lost each one twice, over a period of four months.

Southampton Crown Court heard how on the first two occasions he submitted claims for £599 for his iPhone and £250 for its titanium case and £1,137 for his Nokia Art, from insurance company Lifestyle Services Group.

Prosecutor Gavin Sumpter told the court that £250 for the case was paid out but further investigations, which included a search of Ahmad’s computer, found that the 27-year-old had submitted bogus documentation to support the claims.

Three months later, in December 2011, Ahmad then made a further two claims for the loss of both phones, to what he thought were different insurance firms, but he did not realise that they were underwritten by the same company he had tried conning before, Lifestyle Services Group.

Ahmad, who has no previous convictions and is studying to be a solicitor, was sentenced to 100 hours’ community service and ordered to pay £250 in compensation and £750 in costs as he had initially elected to stand for trial at Crown Court before pleading guilty.