A CONFIDENCE trickster duped a York family with a promise of a holiday in Australia, a jury heard.

Opening the prosecution against Philip Leslie Gawley, 43, Geraldine Kelly alleged that he befriended the Ellwood family.

He spun them tales about his rich family, claiming he was Australian and his father owned a ranch, his mother ran a freezer shop and his sister owned pharmacies.

"He took advantage of them with confidence tricks which resulted in financial loss over a period of time," she said at York Crown Court.

Gawley, of Tilehurst Court, Salford, Manchester, denies four charges of theft and two of deception. He is alleged to have stolen £590 in total from Alice Quinn, £1,050 from her boyfriend's brother Paul Ellwood and to have deceived Mr Ellwood into handing over two cheques worth £302.

Miss Kelly alleged that the Mancunian told the Ellwoods from South Bank, York, he would provide tickets for a holiday down under and persuaded Mr Ellwood and Miss Quinn to hand over money for holiday insurance and accommodation. At one point he produced a receipt from Going Places to back up his story.

"Inevitably there was no holiday at all to Australia, there were no tickets, there was no insurance," claimed Miss Kelly.

Then, the court heard, he conned Mr Ellwood into giving him his wages on the understanding Gawley would pay off his debts.

"These debts, needless to say, were never paid off as agreed and effectively this defendant took the cash and kept it," alleged the barrister.

Last autumn, Gawley sent the family a letter postmarked Australia saying 'I am sorry to leave you all', said Miss Kelly.

But Gawley was in Manchester, not Australia, and had sent the letter to persuade the family there would be no point in trying to track him down, alleged Miss Kelly.

He later told police he had asked a friend to post it for him and that he had simply wanted to apologise for arguments he and the Ellwoods had had before he left. He denied stealing any money.

The trial continues.

Updated: 08:28 Tuesday, September 11, 2001