Trainee admits 16 counts of fraud by false representation
A University of Bedfordshire law graduate is facing a spell behind bars after scamming concert-goers out of more than £7,000.
Zainab Pervaiz, 25, from Walsall in the West Midlands, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of fraud by false representation when she appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
Pervaiz — who graduated in 2013 — admitted flogging non-existent concert tickets to Justin Bieber, Beyoncé and Adele fans. Genuine concert tickets for these performers go for near to £100, though VIP tickets can cost far more.
Aspiring lawyer Pervaiz used the PayPal account of a friend’s grandfather between February 2015 and December 2016 to receive thousands of pounds in payments, before transferring the ill-gotten gains into her own account. Legal Cheek understands that Pervaiz was, until recently, in the process of completing her training contract at a local firm with the hopes of becoming an immigration solicitor.
Her barrister, Citadel Chambers’ Amanda O’Mara, told the court that Pervaiz knew of the impact this would have on her solicitor plans, according to the Mail Online. She continued:
“She is a law student who will not be able to follow her career any more… She fully accepts her responsibility and criminal behaviour over this time period.”
Judge Simon Drew QC, who bailed Pervaiz to return for sentencing in November, described how she had lied “consistently, repeatedly, not only to the complainant — the grandfather — but also the police as well”.
But is Pervaiz’s legal career really all but over? A Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) spokesperson told Legal Cheek that every application to the profession “is dealt with on its merits”, and that there “are no convictions or otherwise that lead to an automatic refusal”.