THIS is the shocking moment an ex-para confronts a gang of youths dressed in army uniform apparently posing as a charity helping homeless veterans at Christmas.

Colin Eastaway - who served with Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan - spotted the lads dressed in camouflage collecting coins in a bucket in Nottingham city centre.

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But he claims they were not serving soldiers, making it an offence to wear the colours, and bamboozled them with questions about their military history, IDs and charity permits.

Colin recorded the angry exchange on his phone as the youths become aggressive when told them: "You' are not ex-forces," in front of stunned passersby.

The men were asking for £3 to £5 for blue wristbands for "Invicted", which Colin says is a play on words of Prince Harry's Invictus charity.

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But when asked for a charity number, ID badges, and permits from the local council, he said they were stumped and became aggressive.

The Charities Commission has no record of Invicted Foundation and a Facebook page for the group has just 170 members.

Footage shows Colin ask them: "Where's your ID?" and one of the men replies: "I haven't got one," before becoming aggressive.

Another says: "We are ex-forces," and Colin says: "You're not ex-forces though, are you. Lets talk about your bands."

One of the men says: "It's called Invicted. We came out of the army and set up."

Asked if he's posing as a charity, the man says: "We are a limited company. So the money comes to us and this is what we do with it."

The men then mumble before walking away from Colin at the end of the 5.09-minute clip.

The counter terrorism expert from Bootle, Merseyside, said: ''These are out and out rogue traders. They have no connection to any charities.

''They're riding off the back of people like me who have fought in Afghanistan, people who have been injured, people who have lost their limbs.

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''None of these men are serving soldiers, so it is an offence for them to wear army uniform in public, let alone be posing as a charity.

''They were selling wristbands and magazines to people who people who believed that they were be helping soldiers.

"But these guys were clearly not serving soldiers and had none of the proper documents when I confronted them. It's morally wrong, ethically wrong, and legally wrong and it needs to be stopped.''

In November Manchester Police issued a warning about the group, which claimed to be collecting cash for armed forces and homeless charities by selling wristband and magazines.

City centre inspector Phil Surgeon said they were investigating the group and told them to ''steer clear''.

Greater Manchester Police confiscated a bag of the group's branded "Invicted Foundation" wrist-bands and said that they would prosecute them for breaking street trading laws and the Uniform Act.

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