A CREDIT card fraudster from Bury travelled the country in his Mercedes buying gift vouchers to spend on luxury goods worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Theophilus Madekurozwa has now been jailed for four years for his part in the crime, which the judge at Bolton Crown Court described as a "sophisticated and planned offence" with a large number of victims.

Brendan O'Leary, prosecuting, told the court how the 36-year-old, of Ainsworth Road, was part of a large scale £113,000 fraud in which innocent members of the public had their identities stolen.

They were then used to apply for credit cards from MNBA.

He said that, in 2013, the credit card company detected a significant number of cards being involved in fraud and began an investigation.

The frauds had begun in March 2013, with Madekurozwa getting involved by mid-June.

Mr O'Leary said he would travel the country, going from store to store using the credit cards to buy large numbers of gift vouchers, effectively laundering the stolen money and then spending it on high value items such ipads, Apple laptops and expensive watches.

The crimes gave Madekurozwa a luxury lifestyle, including renting a plush £1,250-a-month apartment at Salford Quays.

He was caught after a member of staff at Morrisons in Braintree, Essex, was alerted to unusual spending on high value gift vouchers, and confronted him.

He fled, but his car number plate led police from the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit to the Salford apartment where they found credit cards, gift cards and luxury goods in his Mercedes.

Altogether, Madekurozwa attempted to steal £70,741.26 and succeeded in obtaining £53,256.4 through making 681 transactions in his 10-month spree.

At the time, he was subject to a suspended prison sentence for committing a similar crime and after even after his arrest, the card fraud continued.

Madekurozwa's partner Connie Manney, a grandmother and mother-of-five, took over the store visits, obtaining vouchers worth £900 from Selfridges.

But on April 14 this year, when she tried to buy two £100 gift vouchers from Tesco in Droylsden, staff became suspicious. She fled but was traced via a car number plate.

Both Madekurozwa and Manney, aged 46, of Connaught Avenue, Whitefield, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud.

Daniel Chadwick, defending Madekurozwa, said his client was an alcoholic who was now trying to rehabilitate himself whilst in jail.

Laura Barbour, defending Manney, said she was previously of good character.

"She, of all people, knew this was the kind of behaviour and activity she should not have involved herself in. She is disgusted with herself," she said.

Jailing Madekurozwa, Recorder Bernadette Baxter told him; "In effect, your full-time job was working as a fraudster. The innocent people whose names were used doubtless had a great deal of trouble."

She added that Manney, who wept in the dock, had played a lesser role and had "fallen prey to temptation."

"You, in your middle years, a mother and a grandmother should know what a poor example to your children this is," she added.

Manney was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years and must undertake 150 hours unpaid work.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing has been listed to take place on May 11.