London Marathon cheat Stanislaw Skupian has been jailed for 16 weeks at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court.

The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to fraud after he crossed the finish line with legitimate runner Jake Halliday’s lost number.

Skupian, who is homeless, had spotted the number on the ground around 300 metres from the finish line and viewed it as a “dream come true”, the court heard.

Mr Halliday had stopped just short of the race end to remove his t-shirt on what was the hottest London Marathon on record on April 22.

The Polish national pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud by false representation and to three unrelated counts of theft at the earliest opportunity.

He was sentenced to 13 weeks for the fraud and three weeks for the theft offences, to be served consecutively.

Scotland Yard said Skupian was charged on May 18 and first appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on the same day.