The sting: How a jobless lorry driver from Goole tried to sell the world's most famous hotel

Guilty: Yorkshire lorry driver who tried to sell London's Ritz Hotel

A penniless conman out to make his fortune chose his mark well, luring him in with the promise of the prestigious hotel and dream profits before liberating him of 1 million.

But unemployed Yorkshire lorry driver Anthony Lee was no Mickey Stone.

The mustachioed, overweight, undischarged bankrupt who was behind on his rent and had a police caution for theft was a far cry from the smooth-talking and driven grifter who specialises in long cons on screen.

Lee talked of overseas trips to visit the hotel's owners, the reclusive Barclay brothers, saying that because he knew them so well, only he could get the trophy property for the knock-down price of 200 million.

The secrecy in which they are known to do business helped Lee to explain why such high-powered players would use him to deal with the buyer.

He offered to sell the landmark hotel, one of the most famous in the world, to dealer Terence Collins for 250 million, splitting the profits with so-called "middle man" Karen Maguire, who specialised in finding properties for private clients.

But all this was just a smokescreen - the Barclay brothers had never heard of Lee and the Yorkshireman never had the ability, nor the intention, to fulfil his end of the deal.

In fact, he has never been involved in a single successful property deal in his life.

In reality, chartered surveyor Christian Sweeting, of property investment firm London and Central European Investments Ltd (LCEIL), did have contacts at The Ritz but refused to even pick up the phone to Lee until he provided a bond of 30 million.

But the facts did not stop Lee.

Like an angler, he dangled The Ritz as bait and caught his mark - hook, line and sinker.

Five months of negotiations in 2006 led to Mr Collins handing over 1 million of Dutch financier Marcus Boekhoorn's money on December 15, expecting 27 boxes of documents to be forthcoming as the deal neared its climax.

Mr Boekhoorn and his entourage were even taken on a tour of the hotel on the day the money was transferred and discussed changes which could be made to its casino, convincing them the deal was legitimate.

But no sooner had the 1 million landed in Lee's Irish account, he split it with his friend Patrick Dolan and the pair spent the money as if it was going out of fashion.

Dolan, who was cleared of any involvement in the scam, blew 125,000 at the races, bought himself a 42,000 Mercedes and paid off his mortgage.

"I had a good time," the 68-year-old Irishman said.

"A wise man told me there's no shops in the graveyard."

But the jury saw through Lee's con, agreeing with prosecutors that it was a plot of "complete fantasy" based upon one great big lie.