Andy Scott prosecutes lookalike thief with ‘appalling criminal history’

August 19, 2019

Andy Scott from Exchange Chambers has successfully prosecuted a ‘lookalike’ of Friends actor David Schwimmer for theft and fraud offences.

Abdulah Husseini, 36, used a stolen bank card to make or attempt to make fraudulent purchases at four shops in Blackpool, Lancashire, last September.

He had walked into an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant in the resort and swiped a wallet from a customer’s jacket while he was away from his table.

Shortly after, he began trying to use the card from the wallet and made two successful purchases at nearby stores before CCTV showed him carrying cans of beers to the till at an Iceland store, Burnley Crown Court heard.

A month later, Blackpool Police posted the captured CCTV image on its Facebook page in an appeal to trace the offender.

The post subsequently went viral with more than 11 million shares and 30,000 comments as members of the public pointed out the suspect’s likeness to Schwimmer’s character Ross Geller in the popular US sitcom.

On Thursday, Husseini was convicted by a jury after a two-day trial of one count of theft and four counts of fraud by false representation.

He was then sentenced by Judge Sara Dodd, who told him he had an ‘appalling criminal history’ and that he was a ‘habitual thief’.

Husseini, an Iranian national, has 32 previous convictions for 60 offences since 2008, including 27 offences for theft and dishonesty.

Prosecutor Andy Scott said: ‘He is a travelling, wandering, nomadic thief and he is a consistent thief with an affinity to steal alcohol.’

Andy is a member of the criminal department at Exchange Chambers.