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A fraudster used other people’s names to obtain a passport and provisional driving licence, a court has heard. John McKinney, 42, also stole mail with chequebooks while working as a Royal Mail postman to write himself cheques to “stay afloat” while struggling financially.
McKinney, of The Glebe, Cubert, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence, having pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including making a false statement to obtain a driving licence, possession of an identity document with intent to deceive, perverting the course of justice, theft of mail, theft of a Rolex watch, two frauds by false representation and two counts of making an untrue statement to procure a passport.
Prosecuting the case, Tom Faulkner explained how in September 2015, McKinney applied for a passport using the name Mr Reece Warner and provided supporting documents alongside the application, which included a marriage certificate and a birth certificate.
The application was successful and a passport was sent to McKinney’s address, which he later used to open bank accounts. However, a year later, following intelligence that the passport was fraudulent, it was cancelled.
A victim impact statement read out on behalf of the real Reece Warner described how he found the whole experience to be “stressful and mentally draining” as he received debt collection letters and has had to attend passport interviews to prove his identity.
Mr Faulkner then told the court how in September 2019, McKinney applied for a provisional driving licence under the name Jack Brewer but supplied a picture of himself alongside it. McKinney then sat a driving test using the provisional and was subsequently given a driving licence under Mr Brewer’s name.
The court heard how a later investigation established that Hertz car rental company doesn’t allow cars to be used for driving tests or given to those who have a provisional licence, and the only person who hired out the car that day was McKinney.
While McKinney was in possession of the driving licence under the name Jack Brewer, he primarily used it to avoid collecting penalty points in his own name. In August 2023, McKinney also used the fraudulent licence, along with bank statements he had set up with Mr Brewer’s name, to obtain finance on a Volkswagen Golf, which was valued at just over £20,000.
Mr Faulkner explained that at the time, the defendant was in some financial difficulty and he would not have been able to take out finance using his own name and documentation. After successfully purchasing the car, McKinney set up policy insurance in his own name.
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In September 2023, McKinney was employed by the Royal Mail as a postman in Truro. Mr Faulkner told the court that the defendant was in a position of trust in this role but during that time, he stole a number of chequebooks from post which were all intended for elderly residents in that area.
Subsequently, a number of the elderly residents came forward to say they never received their chequebooks and reported that cheques were issued from their accounts. It was found that the corresponding amounts were deposited into the Jack Brewer bank account, which McKinney had set up and previously used.
The fraudulent cheques made a combined total of just over £9,000. A handwriting expert was able to establish there was strong evidence that a group of cheques were written by McKinney and he later pleaded guilty to writing them.
Mr Faulkner said the most recent offence committed by McKinney was in January of this year, when he went to Dinero Jewellery in Penzance and pawned a Rolex watch worth £2,500. McKinney then returned to the jewellery shop in March and asked to see the watch but the box was found to be empty, so it was reported as stolen. However, when McKinney was arrested in September, he was found to be wearing the exact same watch with the serial number.
Defending the case, Ryan Murray told the court that McKinney wanted to provide an “abject apology” to his victims and that he was glad to learn that those who had their chequebooks stolen were reimbursed by the banks. He added that he did not know the identity of the individuals before stealing the chequebooks, so was unaware they were elderly and vulnerable.
Mr Murray explained that following the rise of interest rates and the cost of living in 2022, the mortgage on McKinney’s house had almost tripled and he was trying to make ends meet. He added that McKinney has since lost his property and “all that was previously precious to him”.
In sentencing, Judge Robert Linford described McKinney’s act of stealing post as a postman as being a “gross breach of trust”. He added: “The facts set out the depths of dishonesty to which you have sunk. This got worse when interest rates increased and you struggled to keep yourself afloat.”
Judge Linford said the offences are “too serious for anything other than a custodial sentence” and McKinney was sentenced to a total of 38 months imprisonment.
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