Romance fraudster 'used charm and good looks' to con men out of thousands of pounds

A model has been jailed after conning several men into spending tens of thousands of pounds on funding her expensive lifestyle. Romance fraudster Gemma Kingsley, 50, was handed a sentence of seven years and seven months at Swindon Crown Court on Wednesday, March 25. Over four years, Kingsley wove a web of lies, tricking men into relationships with her.

She told the men that she was set to inherit millions of pounds from her late grandfather, and manipulated them into spending huge sums of money on her behalf. One victim spent tens of thousands of pounds on furniture, dental bills and even a planned wedding, believing that he would be reimbursed. Kingsley also used stolen and false bank cards to pay for luxuries including hotel stays at high-end resorts, and opened a betting account in one victim's name, losing substantial sums of his money through gambling.

In February, Kingsley, of Beadnell, Northumberland, pleaded guilty to six counts of theft, four counts of fraud by false representation, two counts of using a false instrument with intent that it will be accepted as genuine, and one count of possessing an article for use in fraud. Jailing Kingsley, Judge Jason Taylor KC told her: "

Your duplicity and brass neck is staggering. You are a con woman who traded on her charm, charisma and good looks to entice and ensnare victims without any regard to the trial of destruction being left behind in your wake."

He said the fraudster's methods were "selfish, orchestrated, sophisticated and cruel". The judge told Kingsley that she had "persistently and manipulatively pulled whatever lever you thought necessary to extract as much as you could to fund an extravagant lifestyle". The judge told the court that Kingsley denied her actions to police, claiming that her high profile as a model exposed her to stalking and harassment and that her victims must have been "infatuated or revenge fantasists".

However, he said that her victims, two of which were recently divorced, had "sincere" feelings for her and she convinced them that those feelings were reciprocated. The judge told her: ”

You spun an intricate web of lies, including false documents, bank appointments and multimillion-pound house viewings, to add credibility to your claims. The image you portrayed was so fantastical that it’s not hard to envisage how your victims were taken in by it because, bluntly, most people are not that divorced from reality. "

Your lack of remorse was only matched by your guile in squeezing every last penny from one victim before moving on to the next. You were a financial predator always on the prowl for easy prey." Barry McElduff KC, prosecuting, said the two principal victims had met Kingsley on dating sites and were "hopelessly in love with her".

One of the men lost more than £125,000 and was left "mortified and humiliated" after being forced to cancel his wedding to Kingsley when the lavish venue pulled out. After splitting from the first victim, she quickly moved onto the second man – spinning the same web of lies about a multimillion-pound inheritance. She defrauded him out of £30,000 and told him she was pregnant with his twins.

After six months together, he found photos on her phone of different bank and credit cards and contacted the police after suspecting she was involved in fraud. Among Kingsley’s other victims was a man she met online whose bank card details she used to pay for £365 of Ocado shopping. She also used his card to pay a 94,000 euro bill at a five-star Alpine resort, for which she has been convicted of fraud in France.

A fourth man had his bank card used to pay an £878 Airbnb bill. Kingsley also defrauded her own mother’s carer of £990 to pay for a holiday they all took together at Cromhall Farm, near Chippenham. She also provided false documents to a car dealership over the purchase of a £120,000 Porsche 911 and to a law firm for the purchase of a multimillion-pound house.

Speaking in a victim impact statement, one of them men said he felt "used and manipulated" and "violated and betrayed" by the fraudster.

He said: "

It’s a deliberate decision by someone who I thought loved me. She deceived me mentally, emotionally and financially." Another said: "I regret profoundly that I trusted Gemma Kingsley and it has impacted my trust in other people.

I had previously described this as cognitive sea sickness but now I know it was gaslighting." Michael Gomulka, defending, said Kingsley had no explanation for her crimes.

He said she "barely recognises herself" but "fully comprehends the harm her actions have had", adding that she was "extremely sorry". He told the court: ”

She had come out of a difficult relationship herself and she had some mental health problems, but none of that can possibly explain the sustained course of conduct she is to be sentenced for." Andrew Eddy, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ”

Gemma Kingsley’s offending was calculated, persistent and financially and emotionally devastating for the men she targeted. She deliberately built trust, fabricated documents, and manipulated her victims into handing over large sums of money, all to maintain a lifestyle she could not legitimately afford. "

The Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with Wiltshire Police to present clear and compelling evidence of her sustained dishonesty, leading to her guilty pleas. Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of her actions and demonstrates our commitment to prosecuting offenders who exploit others for personal gain."