Overview

• Watkin, 26, pleaded guilty in June at Chester Crown Court to six fraud counts totaling £420,000 against four people, and the judge has indicated a custodial sentence will follow.
• He is being held at HMP Altcourse as he awaits sentencing, according to court and police records.
• Phones seized during a 2024 arrest contained indecent images of children, including the most serious category, and he faces sentencing for multiple related offences.
• Investigators say he leveraged demand for rare Hermès/Birkin handbags to obtain money and goods from wealthy buyers and dealers, with one boutique owner reporting losses around £100,000.
• Cheshire Police arrested him in 2024 at The Merlin hotel, later rearrested him at Macclesfield station after a bail breach, and believe further unreported losses could reach into the millions.