Walsall fraudster avoids jail after duping music fans out of more than £10,000 with fake tickets to Justin Bieber, Beyoncé and Adele concerts

Would-be England sportswoman Zainab Pervaiz cheated Justin Bieber, Beyoncé and Adele fans of their cash during her online scam.

The Walsall fraudster fooled at least 16 unsuspecting pop fans into buying the non-existent tickets on eBay, leaving disgruntled customers out of pocket when they demanded a refund.

She previously trained at the England football camp, played for her local cricket team and lost her job as a paralegal at Fountain Solicitors after bosses discovered she had been ripping-off victims.

Sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday, Judge Simon Drew said: "That was £10,000 not raised in order for you to survive but essentially, for young enjoy certain luxuries in your life.

"And, no doubt, maintain some debt you had incurred in the last for the same reasons.

"Your career in law is almost certainly dead and buried.

"You have come within a whisker of an immediate, substantial, sentence of imprisonment, which I have absolutely no doubt would have been devastating so far as you are concerned."

Pervaiz launched her scam after befriending a woman suffering with post traumatic stress disorder, claiming she was a solicitor with rich friends, and her father co-owned online site Ticketmaster.

The defendant, of Swan Pool Grove, later 'manipulated' the woman's grandfather to allow her to use his PayPal account.

She conned customers into transferring cash for fake tickets, advertised on eBay, into his account before moving cash into her bank account.

Unhappy customers complained when tickets failed to arrive, alerting her 'vulnerable' friend and grandfather - who was forced to fork out £7,000 to refund Pervaiz' victims.

Just 16 of the 25-year-old's victims came forward to make statements to the police despite others falling for the defendant's plot, prosecutor Mr Gary Cook said.

Defence barrister Ms Rachel Pennington said Pervaiz wanted to offer the £11,000 raised by her family as compensation to her victims.

The defendant, who had no previous convictions, was remorseful and hopes to work to raise awareness of online scams among potential victims, the barrister added.

Pervaiz, who admitted 16 counts of fraud by false representation, was handed a two-year sentence, suspended for two years.

She must pay £9,982 compensation, take part in a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and carry out 150 hours unpaid work.