Forklift driver spent £176k on Riyad Mahrez’s bank card in month-long spending spree

A forklift truck driver used Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez’s bank card so often in a £176,000 spending spree that he cannot remember all the transactions, a judge has heard.

Mohamed Sharif, 32, spent a month blowing a fortune on designer clothes, gambling and a champagne-fuelled holiday in Ibiza before Mahrez realised money was being taken from his account.

Mahrez was targeted after an ‘unknown person’ called up Barclays Bank, posing as the £200,000-a-week Etihad favourite footballer, and ordered a replacement card in his name.

Sharif travelled from his home in east London to Leicester, where Mahrez was playing at the time so large cash withdrawals from ATMs would appear less suspicious, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Mohamed Sharif, 32, spent a month blowing a fortune on designer clothes, gambling and a champagne fuelled holiday in Ibiza before Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez realised the card had been taken

Sharif has not been able to accurately account for how much spending he was responsible for and his sentencing has been put off until next month.

Daniel Higgins, defending, said Sharif had been asked to make a full table of the fraudulent spending on the card, but had only partially responded.

Mr Higgins said: ‘The solicitors asked Mr Sharif to amend that table to provide instructions as to whether or not he spent the money for himself, for others or not at all.

‘He has also been asked to indicate whether he was aware of any of the spending.

The winger (pictured) was targeted after an ‘unknown person’ called up Barclays Bank, posing as the £200,000-a-week Etihad favourite footballer

‘He returned a photograph of pages he amended in hand, obviously he had added too many attachments so not all the pages were received by me when they were sent through.

‘It has taken quite some time. It’s not always as straightforward as when someone is around a table. The solicitors also have staff troubles.’

At the previous hearing Alex Matthews, prosecuting, said £175,830 was stolen from the player between August 16 and September 20, 2017, when the spree was finally stopped.

Sharif spent the money at Aspers Casino at Westfield Stratford City, KFC, Nando’s, Fitness First, Asda and even Greggs.

Sharif (pictured) is unable to accurately account for how much spending he was responsible for and his sentencing has been put off until next month

Detailing the trip to Ibiza, Ms Matthews said thousands of pounds was spent at the Bali Beach Club restaurant: ‘It was a very nice holiday.

‘The massive majority of spending on this list is like going to places like Nikki Beach and spending on champagne at the bar.

‘Hotels, various beach bars, this is a holiday the defendant said in interview that he went on.’

Referring to a series of boutique payments the prosecutor said: ‘He spent £900 in one and £600 in the other – and that’s just one night in Ibiza.’

Sharif also bought a pair of Armani jeans worth more than £1,400 with Mahrez’s card, the court heard.

Ms Matthews added: ‘Mohamed entered a basis of plea that he was acting under direction, he worked for a group at the bank.’

He said the bank card belonged to a ‘Premier League footballer, which explains why there was so much money on it’.

Sharif splurged £20,000 of the 29-year-old Algerian star’s money partying in Ibiza but now claims he is married and living ‘a modest life’.

Mr Higgins had explained that Sharif was ‘drinking and taking drugs and his ability to recall in detail is rather limited.’

He previously received a suspended sentence for a hotel booking scam and was jailed for 45 month in 2009 for robbery, the court heard.

Sharif, from East Ham, has admitted one count of fraud and his sentence was adjourned until March 19 at 2pm.

He was granted bail in the meantime.