I would suggest you make a few chargeable calls on the phone to latch the phones imei number to your account.
It costs £15 for the unlock for PAYG customers ,so perhaps top up by £20 ,or ask someone who is on a O2 contract to put their sim in the phone, make some chargeable calls ,and they request the unlock ,which is then free to pay monthly customers.
Or use a market stall holder or standalone mobile Phone store again for a fee.