War Hero Imposter Tries A New Trick As Magician

Dec 2 2007 By Steve Dinneen

War Hero Imposter Up To His Old Tricks In Magical New Job

A BOGUS army captain, dubbed Sir Walter Mitty, has conjured up a new career... as a jet-setting millionaire magician.

Alan McIlwraith, 30, claims he mixes with the world's top magic stars and has taken his act to some of the world's most glamorous hotels.

The fantasist was first exposed last year after falsely claiming to be a war hero and appearing at posh functions in full uniform.

But he has reinvented himself as a master magician using the stage name Ledger.

He claims to be best friends with top Las Vegas illusionist Lance Burton and boasts of spending boozy nights with him - even though Burton is teetotal.

McIlwraith even claims to have painted a naked lady for Burton's famous trick, The Gold Lady, where a woman is turned into a £5million gold statue.

But an agent for Burton confirmed the magician had never met McIlwraith.

He said: "This is the first I've heard of this - he doesn't know Lance.

"We've had other reckless and strange frauds over the years but this is a new one."

McIlwraith, of Glasgow, also boasts about coming second in the World Magician of the Year contest, which he says was held in the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

He told our investigators, posing as magazine writers, he was pipped by one-handed Argentinian trickster Rene Lavand.

Unfortunately for McIlwraith, the magician of the year award - won by Criss Angel - was presented at the Magic Castle venue in Hollywood in April.

McIlwraith showed our team a series of polished tricks before posing for our photographer.

He also boasted that his magic helps him bed women and even claimed his act was better than David Blaine.

He said: "I must admit, magic does help attract the ladies. Women really love my magic - but when guys see them crowding round, they want to get in on the act too and muscle them out of the way.

"Women like any tricks to do with money.

"I have one where I put a pen through a note but leave it intact and they go mad for it.

"But I have a strict rule for women - if one asks you back to hers after midnight, always say no - you'll be too drunk and she'll turn out to be a minger.

"I do close-up magic, street magic, a bit like Blaine. He can hover a couple of inches above the ground but I can hover 18ins - and size does matter.

"I've seen David Copperfield but I've never really hung around with him.

"Just because we're all magicians doesn't mean we keep the same social circles. That would be like Franz Ferdinand hanging around with the Spice Girls."

When quizzed about his past, McIlwraith became nervous and said he "used to work in IT" but quit to follow his magic dream.

He said he has been a full-time magician for years and spends most of his time in America.

In fact McIlwraith first hit the headlines in 2006 when he posed as Afghanistan war hero Sir Alan McIlwraith, who had been awarded medals for bravery.

He even duped the National Children's Home charity into inviting him and his unwitting girlfriend - who dumped him over his lies - to a star-studded fundraising event.

When our reporter confronted McIlwraith about his new identity he stood by his claims at first.

He said "It might have been a different Lance Burton you were speaking to."

But he later crumbled and admitted: "I've been very stupid. It was all lies and for that I apologise.

"I should have stopped lying after I got caught last time but I just really wanted to be taken seriously as a magician. I won't ever do this again."

One source that has seen him perform his magic act said: "I don't know why he makes up these lies - he's actually a really good magician.

"I wish he'd get his act together because underneath it all he's a nice guy."

'I must admit magic does help attract the ladies'

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