Man jailed for cashing Derren Brown cheques

A man convicted of cashing more than £30,000 using cheques stolen from the illusionist Derren Brown was jailed for 16 months yesterday (PA)

A man convicted of cashing more than £30,000 using cheques stolen from the illusionist Derren Brown was jailed for 16 months yesterday.

Bernard Ayanbanjo, 48, was given the cheques by Mr Brown's cleaner, who was earlier jailed for 16 months. Ayanbanjo, a Nigerian national who was found guilty of two counts of fraud at a trial last month, received concurrent terms of 16 months at Southwark Crown Court.

He took the cheques, worth £21,550.35 and £11,500, from Rocio Pavon-Navarrete, 47, and paid them into his own bank account between October and December 2010.

The cheques were signed by James Cooper, Mr Brown's manager, but left blank and stored at his home in central London for use by his assistant while Mr Brown, above, and Mr Cooper were away on business.

In Ayanbanjo's police interview, he claimed that the cleaner asked him to cash the cheques as payment for building and repairing a sign.