A 25-year-old man used a stolen credit card to buy hundreds of pounds worth of goods from shops across Swindon in one day.

Arikarin Senthivel carried out 13 transactions with the card always keeping the level low enough so that he wouldn't be detected.

But the Sri Lankan was caught when staff at the Polo shop in Swindon's Designer Outlet Village became suspicious when he made three separate transactions in the same day. Magistrates were told he was living in a car in Croydon, Surrey, while his right to stay in the country was being examined by the Home Office.

Prosecutor Rob Welling told the court that Senthivel had got his hands on what was known as a ghost card, which means it belonged to the bank and had no real owner, on Tuesday March 23.

"He used it a great deal of times over a relatively short period at shops in Swindon and the Thames Valley area obtaining relatively small amounts to keep it below the threshold limit, working it from one shop to another," he said.

"He went to the Polo shop for the third time and because of that staff became suspicious and went to the rear of the store with the card.

Staff detained him and the police were called.

When he was questioned the defendant admitted what he done but after being released on bail failed to return. Mr Welling said that the total loss from the card's use was £443.71.

Senthivel, who gave a postal address in Croydon, pleaded guilty to four deceptions, one attempted deception, theft, failing to surrender and asked for nine further deceptions to be taken into consideration. He was given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 in compensation.

Stephen Weighell, defending, said that his client had come to Britain in 1998 to work in restaurants. But in the early months of this year his visa was withdrawn and his right to stay in the country is being examined.

Kevin Shoesmith