46 minutes ago
1
A fraudster who claimed to be a special forces soldier-turned multimillionaire cancer patient has been sentenced to more than three years in prison.
Joseph Gibson, 35, took almost £68,000 from his four victims, two of whom he had met on the dating app Tinder, and convinced one they were in a relationship.
Gibson, from Penbryn Nant, in Ruthin, Denbighshire, lied that he had been worth hundreds of millions of pounds, had served in the Special Boat Service, and owned yachts.
He was sentenced to three years and two months at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, after pleading guilty to four charges of fraud by false representation.
Another hearing will take place to work out how he can repay his victims.
The sentencing hearing heard that one victim was persuaded to send Gibson money for business opportunities, hospital expenses and online trading. She lost more than £5,600 and described she had suffered "anxiety and emotional distress".
Another, known as SC handed over more than £30,000 when Gibson claimed he could make substantial returns through investments and trading. She lost £21,000 after getting only about £9,700 back and said she had been left "heavily in debt".
Another, JH, invested based on Gibson's claims that he was a successful businessman. She gave him £28,000 and got £10,000 back and said it had affected her relationships with her children.
The fourth victim, a retired super yacht captain known as PH, invested £23,350 and said he had suffered "severe" emotional impact.
