A CONMAN took a photo of a £40,000 diamond engagement ring in Prestons — and sold it on eBay for more than £1,000.

Now Christopher Holden has been ordered to pay back the £1,001 he took from a bride-to-be.

Bolton magistrates heard Holden went into Prestons in Deansgate, Bolton town centre, and, without their knowledge, took a photo of one of their most expensive engagement rings.

The ring, a platinum diamond solitaire, was worth about £40,000, and would have been inset with a massive glittering rock.

Carol Butler, from the Midlands, could not believe her luck when she saw the ring advertised on internet auction site eBay for a bargain price.

She put in a bid for £1,001 and, on March 24, found out she had won the auction.

Miss Butler then sent Holden a cheque, and the money was taken from her account — but she never received the ring.

She reported it to West Mercia police, who then contacted police in Bolton, and Holden was arrested.

Holden, aged 29, of Padbury Way, Breightmet, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation when he appeared at Bolton Magistrates Court on Thursday.

He was given an eightweek jail sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay £1,001 compensation to Miss Butler.

Prestons staff had no idea they had been targeted by Holden until The Bolton News contacted them. Shop manager Sue Hurst said: “This is a truly shocking crime that we knew nothing about, and we just feel extremely sorry it’s happened.

“We just cannot believe that someone would think they could get away with this.”

And bosses from online auction site, eBay, also welcomed the sentence.

A spokesman said: “We take this issue extremely seriously and work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure anyone who attempts to defraud our buyers is caught and punished.

“We hope his sentencing will send a clear message to others that illegal activity is not tolerated.”

● Internet fraud crime such as Holden’s is currently investigated by detectives in Bolton, but Chief Constable Peter Fahy last month announced the formation of a central internet fraud unit based in Manchester