A property developer has been jailed for 11 years following a string of bogus property deals and investment scams.

Mohammed Ahmed, formerly of Deansgate, Manchester was sentenced to 11 years in jail by a Leeds County Court this week – after the 33 year old was found to have persuaded scores of people into investing in bogus property schemes.

The jury heard that the 33-year-old had persuaded various people into investing in property and, in some cases; he had even kept the money.

The subsequent money was then used to fund a lifestyle of Ferraris, lavish trips and an executive box at the Mancester City football ground.

The investigation, carried out by the newly established National Trading Standards eCrime Centre (NTSeC) became involved after complaints from businesses who had bought space on Ahmed's ‘We Do Trades‘ website.

Traders were sold ‘advertising space’ on the website - following false claims by advisers on high returns on investment.

According to a spokesman from the NTSeCC "paid between £75 and several thousands of pounds and were locked into long-term contracts".

"Few, if any, meaningful jobs were ever delivered."

The investigation into the property fraud revealed that Ahmed had wildly overstated the true value of some of the projects involved in the scheme.

The spokesman continued, "One charge related to Ahmed fraudulently claiming he had the backing to obtain a £10.5m stake in the Beetham Tower, the tallest building in Manchester."

Sentencing the fraudster, Judge Bayliss said: "Despite a relatively young age you are an inveterate and incorrigible confidence trickster, a consummate and practiced liar."