A pair of art forgers who made thousands selling fake Banksy prints on eBay have been banned from internet trading after avoiding a jail term at Kingston Crown Court.

Grant Champkins-Howard, from Birdhurst Rise, Croydon, and his childhood friend Lee Parker were handed a 12 month prison sentence - suspended for two years - after pleading guilty to doctoring copies of the graffiti artist's works and passing them off as limited-edition originals.

The Banksy enthusiasts used their knowledge of the artist to blind their victims with science, prosecutor Richard Mandel told the court on July 1.

He said the pair had made up to £2,000 a time by adding numbers and official stamps and creating fake identity documents for the prints, which they pretended had been authenticated by online Banksy specialists Pictures on Walls.

The pictures were then traded around the globe using multiple email accounts, some in the names of friends and relatives.

Champkins-Howard, 44, and 45-year-old Eastbourne resident Parker paid prompt refunds to suspicious customers to keep the heat off their scam, with the latter going so far as providing an original Banksy as recompense to one dissatisfied buyer.

Judge Suzan Matthews, sentencing, said although Parker used his gains to pay his mortgage after hitting financial difficulties, Champkins-Howard was simply motivated by greed.

She said: “Neither of you should be under any illusion that I regard both of you as nothing other than a pair of old-fashioned con-men.”

The fraudsters were arrested in April 2008 following a two month police investigation, which was launched after warnings about fake Banksy prints being sold online appeared on an Internet forum.

Champkins-Howard continued to sell fake prints even after his arrest, and was remanded in Wandsworth prison for three months after breaching his bail conditions.

Many of the duo’s victims were private individuals with large amounts of disposable income including builders, DJs and chefs.

Detective Constable Ian Lawson, of the Metropolitan Police's Art and Antiques Unit, said: “This was a lucrative and unscrupulous scam in which the culprits had no qualms about ripping off collectors, sometimes to the tune of several thousands of pounds.

“They set up e-Bay accounts using details of relatives and friends thus spreading suspicion on to these innocent people.

“The gang went to great lengths to deceive their victims and it is only right that they should face the consequences of their actions.

“The harm done by the defendants in undertaking their fraud goes beyond the immediate losses to their individual victims.

“Buyers' confidence is vastly important in the legitimate collectors' market in art.

“When fraudsters infiltrate fakes into those markets, that confidence is dented, with an inevitable effect on prices, an effect that is bound to be felt by all collectors in the market.

“We would advise anyone looking to invest in art to check each and every piece of provenance right back to the original owner and if possible find an independent authenticating body to check if the piece is genuine.

“If buying from internet forums and online action sites then take additional care and proceed with caution - names, emails and conversations can all be manufactured for sale purposes.”

An eBay spokesperson said: "We are delighted to hear of today's sentences, having worked closely with the Metropolitan Police since September 2008 to bring this case to court.

"Our long-standing commitment to this case highlights our intolerance for those fraudsters who attempt to sell fake items on our site.

"We will continue to build on our work with law enforcement agencies to make sure that justice is served if anyone decides to try their luck."

Both men were also ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.