Lighting designer Jeremy Coombs has pleaded guilty to one count of fraud at Southwark Crown Court.
Coombs,52,has admitted pocketing an advance of GBP 3,500,paid by Antiques expert Rupert Mass,for a new'nano-lighting'system at his Mayfair gallery.
He spoke only to enter his guilty plea to a single count of fraud during the brief hearing.
The Surrey-based lighting designer had originally been charged with two further counts of fraud,but prosecutors on Wednesday(March 28)asked for the charges to lie on file.
It had been claimed Coombs conned David Dallas out of 12,600 after promising to supply lighting systems between September 1 and 30,2009.
Mr Dallas worked for Johnny Van Haeften Ltd which runs a gallery in Duke Street,central London,that specialises in Dutch and Flemish Old Master Paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries.
He was also alleged to have used the same ruse to trick art dealers Stoppenbach&Delestre in to parting with GBP 3,400 in November 2009.
Coombs was remanded on bail and will be sentenced on April 20.
