Phish and Chips

I dealt with my first ever Phishing case recently. The defendant fraudulently transferred a large sum of money into his own account by Internet fraud, and then attempted, using methods that I won't detail, to turn it into cash. He was thwarted by a vigilant counter clerk.

We heard only limited details because he pleaded guilty, but we had no hesitation in sending him to the Crown Court for sentence. A sophisticated fraud, prevalent at the moment, cries out for a deterrent sentence, despite the def's previous clean record. My guess is that the judge will see the offence as being worth about three years, but allow one-third discount for the very early guilty plea.