A dad who used a dead man's Lord's Cricket Ground membership card in a "despicable" bid to access the ground's best seats has been spared jail.
James Lattimer, 51, put his own photograph on the card he had bought on eBay to create a "passport to a prestigious world".
It gave him access to an exclusive members-only area of the world-famous ground in central London.
But a court heard the businessman was stopped at the venue last August when security staff became suspicious he was guilty of a separate offence.
Lattimer, who has one child, had purchased a general ticket to enter the venue but carried the membership card to get into the exclusive pavillion.
The dead man had passed away in 2014 and the offence likely caused "great distress to (their) relatives," Southwark Crown Court was told today.
Lattimer, of Bournemouth, Dorset, admitted fraud and was today handed a 10-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He was told he must pay a £10,000 fine as well as prosecution costs of £425, and carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
The defendant, who is the owner of a corporate cleaning company, was acquitted of the other offence.
Sentencing the man, Judge Michael Grieve QC said: "The use of a deceased person's identity for any purpose is despicable and likely to cause great distress to (their) relatives.
"The forged document was your passport to a prestigious world and the best seats in the ground.
"What you gained was very sought after.
"You acquired the privilege people wait half a lifetime to acquire.
"You have brought all of this on yourself."
The court heard the Lord's membership is "very sought-after".
It costs £1,000 to become a member, with a £600 annual fee thereafter, and there is a 29-year waiting list with 12,000 people on it, the judge heard.
But Lattimer's desperation to access the area was branded "unattractive and naive".
His defence lawyer, Jonas Milner, conceded his client was disgraced but also full of remorse.
He said: "It was an unattractive and naive ploy by a cricket fan who let his desperation to experience the pavilion get the better of him".
The lawyer argued Lattimer was not aware the card belonged to someone who had died.
