Jack Watkin, a 26-year-old from Alderley Edge, Cheshire, who once styled himself as the "Kardashian of Cheshire," has been sentenced to six years in prison after orchestrating a sprawling designer handbag scam that defrauded friends, family, and acquaintances out of more than £200,000. The story, which has unfolded in both the courts and the media, reveals a tangled web of deceit, luxury, and ultimately, criminality—underscored by a separate, deeply disturbing conviction for possession and creation of indecent images of children.
Watkin’s rise to notoriety began with his appearance on Channel 4’s Rich Kids of Instagram in 2016, where he showcased what appeared to be a life filled with designer hotels, luxury goods, and high-end fashion. According to Sky News, this outward display of opulence was precisely what allowed him to gain the trust of his victims. Prosecutor Matthew Kerruish-Jones told Chester Crown Court that "the defendant put forward the outward facade of a glamorous and luxurious lifestyle. This, it seems, engendered trust and led a number of individuals to loan him large sums of money on the promise of either a financial return, or luxury items. Neither of which materialised."
Watkin’s scam revolved around Hermes handbags, coveted items that are notoriously difficult to obtain and often resell for many times their original price. He convinced his victims that he had exclusive contacts within the luxury brand, offering them the chance to invest in handbags that would then be sold at a profit. Victims included not just acquaintances and business owners, but also close friends and even his own father, Jason Watkin, who lost £24,500. Another friend, Hannah Jakes, suffered losses of £98,500, while others, like James Irlam and Harrods barman Andor Farkas, were defrauded of £13,000 and £14,000 respectively. Even smaller investors, such as Naheem Akhtar, lost sums as modest as £840. As The Tab reported, Watkin "chose his victims very carefully, a lot of them of such wealth that I know they have just written this off."
Christine Colbert, who runs a shop selling upscale handbags in Prestbury, Cheshire, was another of Watkin’s targets. She recounted to Sky News how she handed over tens of thousands of pounds after Watkin claimed he could secure a £32,000 Hermes bag for her. When neither the bag nor the investment returns materialized, Colbert turned detective, searching online for other victims and eventually working with police to set up a sting operation. In a dramatic turn, she lured Watkin to a Cheshire pub, where officers were waiting to arrest him. PC Molly Easton of Cheshire Police recalled, "He came in in full designer gear, it was pretty obvious who he was."
Watkin’s fraudulent activities were not limited to a handful of victims. According to Detective Constable Gareth Yates of Cheshire Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit, "I would personally say that his offending goes into the millions." The court heard that between April 2019 and October 2021, Watkin spent a staggering £1.2 million, despite having no legitimate income. His lavish expenditures included a £140,000 bill at London’s Dorchester Hotel, luxury goods from Harrods, fast cars, Versace crockery, and designer clothing. As Judge Simon Berkson told Watkin during sentencing, "You used an outward persona of someone who was wealthy and well connected in order to dupe victims with your fraudulent behaviour. You described yourself as a millionaire and talked about your knowledge of luxury products. You suggested you could be a person who could be trusted with other people’s money. Your true motivation was to defraud people of out their money and spend it all on yourself."
But the criminality did not end with financial fraud. During the investigation, officers seized Watkin’s mobile phones, uncovering a trove of indecent images of children that shocked even his victims. As BBC News detailed, the first phone, confiscated in March 2024, contained 637 indecent images, including 274 of the most serious category A. Officers also found six extreme pornographic images of animals and five prohibited images of children. On a second arrest in October 2024, a new phone revealed additional indecent images. In total, Watkin was found guilty of nine offences relating to possession and creation of indecent images of children and was sentenced to an additional 18 months in prison for these crimes. He must also register as a sex offender for 10 years and is subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective Constable Yates commented on the dual nature of Watkin’s crimes: "Not only did Watkin deceive his victims by befriending them and taking thousands from them, but he was also hiding a depraved secret habit, sickening his victims further after his hideous secret was uncovered when his mobile phones were downloaded by specialist officers." Yates added, "Watkin’s deluded himself that he was a successful rich kid influencer, but in reality, he was stealing money from wealthy individuals under the guise of ‘business opportunities’ to fund his expensive habit of fast cars, luxury goods, including Versace crockery, and designer footwear and clothing. It was never going to end well, and his downfall was inevitable. Eventually his lies caught up with him and he is now facing the consequences of his deceit, and his perversions."
The scale and brazenness of Watkin’s fraud, coupled with the disturbing nature of his other offences, have left a trail of financial and emotional devastation. The investigation, which began when a suspicious victim contacted the Metropolitan Police in 2022, eventually revealed the full extent of Watkin’s deception and depravity. According to BBC News, none of the victims received the promised handbags or profits, and many were left with little hope of recovering their losses.
Watkin’s case has become a cautionary tale about the dangers of social media-fueled illusions and the ease with which trust can be manipulated in the digital age. His story, once a glamorous Instagram fantasy, has ended in disgrace and incarceration, with authorities warning that there may yet be more victims who have not come forward.
For those who followed Watkin’s exploits online or encountered him in real life, the events of October 2025 mark a sobering end to a saga that blurred the lines between aspiration, fraud, and criminality.
