A Gumtree buyer called ‘Nana’ robbed a Cowley man of his PlayStation 4 after failing to convince the seller to accept six ‘fake’ £50 notes, a jury heard.

Ezekiel Amusan, 20, of Carpenter Close, Oxford, denies robbery and offering counterfeit currency.

Opening the case against him at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, prosecutor Rose Slowe told the jury the alleged victim of the robbery had advertised his PlayStation 4 games console for sale on classifieds website Gumtree in September 2020.

READ MORE: Man arrested and French bulldog crossbreed seized

On the evening of September 4, someone with the username ‘Nana’ sent a message asking if the games console, video games and accessories were still available.

The next morning the seller confirmed that they were and ‘Nana’ arranged to come at 8.30pm that evening to ‘grab it’.

CCTV showed a man arriving in a silver hatchback at around 8.45pm. The car waited at the junction of Paget Road and Normandy Crescent in Cowley.

Giving evidence on Thursday, alleged victim Dale Baker told the jury he buzzed the buyer into his Normandy Crescent apartment block. He opened his front door to the man, who was black, in his mid-20s and around 5ft 8in.

Mr Baker said the man gave him a white envelope containing £50 notes. He recognised them as counterfeit ‘pretty much straight away’.

He added of ‘Nana’: “He knew immediately that I knew. I told him the money was fake.”

READ MORE: Addict on 'kamikaze' bike theft spree

The buyer allegedly pushed Mr Baker to the left shoulder then threw a punch with his right fist that ‘shaved’ the side of his face.

‘Nana’ grabbed the shopping bag containing the PlayStation and its accessories then ran from the flat. CCTV picked him up struggling to jump into the back of the silver getaway car as it began speeding away down Paget Road.

The jury was told that fingerprints on the £50 notes and the envelope were a match for Amusan. The email address linked to the ‘Nana’ Gumtree profile appeared to be in his name and the internet IP address used to access Gumtree was traced back to the Pegasus Road home where the defendant was a lodger, prosecutor Ms Slowe said.

Mr Baker and his partner were unable to pick Amusan out in an identity parade. The defendant’s laptop and the t-shirt Mr Baker was wearing when he was shoved were not submitted for forensic analysis.

Interviewed by police in December 2020, the defendant denied involvement in the robbery. Asked why his fingerprints were found, he said: “I think the suspect is doing something to make sure you don’t find him, innit.”

The trial continues.

Read more from this author

This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward