Love rat locked up
A Snaresbrook Crown Court judge has slapped the man believed to be the UK’s biggest romance fraudster with a 17-year jail sentence. Nigel Baker, 56, tricked vulnerable women out of nearly £1m ($1.3m) after convincing them he was a successful online bookie.
muttered “Happy Christmas” as he was escorted out of court
Honour Judge Charles Falk labeled Baker “a charlatan” while dishing out Britain’s longest-ever sentence imposed for romance fraud. According to the Manchester Evening News on Tuesday, Baker muttered “Happy Christmas” as he was escorted out of court en route to prison.
Baker targeted five divorced single mothers through dating apps including Plenty of Fish and duped them into handing over hundreds of thousands of dollars, which he lost gambling.
Charmer harmer
Baker’s sentencing this week came after he was convicted in October of 18 counts of fraud by false representation in relation to five women victims, including a police officer, “successful businesswomen and accountants.”
According to Snaresbrook Crown Court records, gambling-obsessed Baker encouraged his victims to draw loans of as much as £200,000 ($266,510) and even sell their houses to invest in his so-called betting “business.”
not a gambler but a bookie.”
Baker told victims he was an online bookie and they could bankroll a future together if the women gave him money to “trade” with on betting platforms such as Betfair. Court records reveal the swindler told his victims there was “zero risk” to their money, “as he was not a gambler but a bookie.”
Baker would use their money to bet online, with records showing a Betfair account set up by a successful businesswoman victim had total losses of nearly £4m ($5.3m). The same woman funded Baker’s accounts with a net total of £281,540 ($375,128).
Despite the women insisting the loans were just that and not gifts, Baker never paid any of them back. Once his victims’ cash ran out, Baker would hit the dating apps for new victims.
An NHS nurse gave Baker savings for her child’s wedding, while a divorced police officer who gave Baker nearly £80,000 ($106,589) expressed shame and disgust at being used. “What I thought was love and connection was manipulation and deceit for financial gain,” she said in a statement.
End of the line
Judge Falk stated Baker was a gambling addict who was “far less successful than he wished he was.”
cynically exploited [their] trust”
“Your purpose was pure financial gain. You didn’t care a jot for any of them, and you mercilessly and cynically exploited [their] trust.” In handing out the monster jail term, the judge declared Baker “an entirely selfish individual that women need to be protected from.”
