Cricket fraudster fined £10,000 for using MCC membership card of dead fan

James Lattimer was also given a suspended prison sentence after using the pass to get into exclusive areas of Lord's

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A cricket fan who used an expired MCC membership card of a dead fan to access secure areas of Lord's has been handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence and fined £10,000.

James Lattimer was handed the punishment, which also included 150 hours of unpaid work, at Southwark Crown Court after admitting to the act of fraud.

The 51-year-old purchased the card of a late member on Ebay and stuck a photo of himself to it.

He would subsequently gain access to exclusive areas of the ground, having purchased a regular ticket, despite the card having expired in 2013.

Lattimer was caught in August after being spoken to by police about a separate matter.

His representative, Jonas Milner, had argued that Lattimer's actions were "an unattractive and naive ploy by a cricket fan who let his desperation to experience the pavilion get the better of him".

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But judge Michael Grieve QC said: "The forged document was your passport to a prestigious world and the best seats in the ground.

"What you gained was very sought after. You acquired the privilege people wait half a lifetime to acquire."

MCC membership can only be attained with the endorsement of four current members and there is currently a 29-year waiting list.

On top of a £1,000 joining fee, it costs a further £600 every year thereafter.

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