A REDNAL man described as "the brains behind the scheme" who helped carry out carefully planned and calculated thefts has been jailed.

Peter Odutoye, 31, of Gannow Manor Gardens in Rednal, along with Alimatu Kamara, aged 22, of Broadmeadow Lane in Birmingham, targeted mobile phone shops where they used fake bank cards to enter into contracts, said Charles Hamer, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court.

The pair were eventually arrested after an abortive attempt to buy clothing and other goods from Debenhams in Worcester.

The rest of their haul, including several mobile phones, had been recovered, said Mr Hamer.

Judge Abbas Mithani described Odutoye as the brains behind the scheme.

He was jailed for 20 months.

His accomplice Kamara received 12 months.

Odutoye pleaded guilty at the outset of the case to nine counts of committing fraud.

Kamara initially pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud and was convicted of two further counts after a trial.

Mr Hamer said Odutoye embarked on the expedition after borrowing £11,000 to pay the medical bills of a relative who was abroad.

He was threatened when he could not repay the debt.

Babir Adris, mitigating, said Odutoye was of previous good character.

He was married with three step-children and one of his own. He had been tempted to use a fake card to pay off his debt.

Sarah Morris, for Kamara, said she had wanted to be a nurse or midwife but the conviction had seen the end of this ambition.

She was now six months pregnant and faced giving birth in prison.

Judge Mithani said the fraudulent spree was a scam and it was a mystery how the pair had managed to obtain the fake bank cards.

Their activities had not only caused serious loss to businesses but also caused the public to feel insecure for their accounts.

The pair had worked in tandem with considerable skill.

Businesses had handed over goods worth more than £5,000 as a result of the deception.