A man who has been linked to a CCTV video of an alleged thief likened to the Friends actor David Schwimmer has denied a string of fraud and theft offences.

Abdulah Husseini, 36, made a brief appearance via video link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs.

The judge, Beverley Lunt, hearing the case at Preston crown court, asked: “Is this the Ross from Friends case?”

Joe Allman, prosecuting, replied: “It is the one with the doppelganger, your honour.”

The defendant, originally from Tehran, pleaded not guilty to the theft of a wallet in Blackpool on 20 September last year. He also denied five fraud offences by allegedly using or attempting to use a stolen Halifax bank card on 17 occasions in shops between 20 September and 5 November last year.

Social media users first pointed out the likeness of the person in the security video apparently carrying beer out of a Blackpool restaurant to Schwimmer’s character, Ross Geller, when police posted the image on Facebook.

Schwimmer later responded by posting a video to his Twitter account that showed him scurrying through a convenience store holding beer before looking up furtively at a CCTV camera.

There was no application for bail by the defendant, from Slough, Berkshire, who is currently serving a jail sentence.

A trial date for the Blackpool theft and fraud offences was set for 4 July.