A SERIAL South Yorkshire conman and "fantasist" who posed as WWE wrestling superstar and movie idol Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson to trick a seriously ill teenager has walked free from court.
"Despicable" Wayne Scott, aged 36, faked a deep American accent in a hoax phone call to the sick 15-year-old, York Crown Court heard.
He claimed he had links with children's charity the Starlight Foundation and would visit the excited boy's Liverpool home, shower him with gifts and fly him to Miami to watch a live bout.
He also promised the Everton fan tickets for a game at Goodison Park and the chance to meet the players.
The unemployed conman, of Highfield Road, near Doncaster town centre, has 35 convictions for fraud and theft.
Scott also had 21 different aliases including Logan Michael Wolverine, Kane Van Basten and Karl Logan Van Basten.
David Garnett, prosecuting, said Scott also received a cap and scarf with a personally signed letter from Sir Alex Ferguson after he contacted the Manchester United boss's PA pretending to be The Rock and asking for merchandise for a sick youngster.
Mr Garnett added families of other sick youngsters may also have been victims of his scams.
He said after Heath Ledger's death in January last year, Scott was investigated by Interpol after Hollywood stars John Travolta and Tom Cruise received calls from a man claiming to be the Batman star's grieving dad.
He was accused of trying to persuade Travolta to pay his air fare to New York but no charges were ever brought.
Chris Dunn, defending, said: "The defendant is a complete fantasist. He blurs the distinction between fantasy and reality on a regular basis."
Scott, who admitted three charges of fraud, was given a 26-week prison sentence suspended for two years.
He was also given a curfew order and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £388 costs.
Recorder Euan Duff said: "This was not done for financial gain, but because it gave you some twisted sense of satisfaction. This all stems from some sort of personality disorder you have which means you get some sort of satisfaction from pretending to be persons you are not. This offending was mean and despicable."
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