A TAXI fare dodger said he worked for investment bank JP Morgan as part of a scam deceiving cab drivers.

Jake Dean, 24, took cabs in Brighton and London before telling drivers he did not have the money to pay them.

The fraudster promised he would pay them the following day but instead strung them along for days with a web of lies.

Dean, of Dorothy Avenue, Peacehaven, pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining services dishonestly under the Fraud Act at Brighton Magistrates Court on Monday.

The court heard on February 6 this year Dean hailed a cab from Waterloo Station to his home off South Coast Road, Peacehaven, but when he arrived he did not have the money for the £256 fare.

Paul Edwards, prosecuting, said: “He was driven to the ATM but his cashpoint card didn’t work and he agreed to transfer the money on taxi app Hailo but the money was never paid.

“Dean had given details of his ‘employers’ but when the driver phoned JP Morgan they had never heard of him.”

The American firm is sixth largest bank in the world, with places on its UK graduate scheme highly sought after. Starting salaries for graduates start at £42,000.

The court heard of three other taxi fare dodging incidents, from December 2016 to February this year, where Dean strung drivers along promising payments.

In total the fares the former Dorothy Stringer pupil failed to make amounted to more than £600.

Speaking in court, Dean blamed the scams on his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

He said: “I accept all four drivers were out of pocket and I am more than willing to pay.

“I previously worked in Dubai in June last year and ended up becoming mentally ill and came back all over the place.

“Since February I have got help from a cognitive behaviour therapist. I have ADHD and am trying to change my impulsive behaviour that has made me erratic.”

Dean has previous convictions for burglary and theft, both in 2009, and public order offence and assaulting a police constable in 2015.

His sentencing has been adjourned to October 27 for a pre-sentencing report.

Dean asked for The Argus to be excluded from the sentencing because it “might affect his employment” but magistrates reminded him of the press’s role in showing justice being done.

Magistrate Chris Bell said he was leaving all options open, meaning Dean could face jail. The maximum penalty is 12 months in prison and/or an unlimited fine.