A ROMANCE fraudster who conned men into spending tens of thousands of pounds and funding her expensive lifestyle has pleaded guilty to more than a dozen counts of theft and fraud.
Over four years, model Gemma Kingsley, 50, of the Northumberland coastal village of Beadnell, wove a web of lies with several victims.
She tricked men into relationships with her and informed them she was soon to inherit a large fortune, leveraging that to compel them to spend huge sums of money on her behalf, including on a planned wedding.
On other occasions, she stole or used false bank card details to pay thousands of pounds for hotel stays.
At Swindon Crown Court on Wednesday, Kingsley 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 being in possession of an article for use in fraud.
She was remanded into custody to be sentenced on March 25.
Detective Constable Melissa Pope, from Wiltshire Police’s fraud team, said: "Kingsley wove a web of lies with her victims, causing significant emotional anxiety and long-term mental and financial harm.
"She manipulated their emotions, assuring them that through her future inheritance, she would be able to repay the considerable sums of money that they were spending on her behalf.
"For one of the victims, an expensive wedding which had been planned, for which the victim’s relatives had booked to come from Australia, was cancelled at short notice.
"Following the launch of our investigation, Kingsley delayed the court process, denying what she had done until the final moment before a trial would be arranged.
"She lied continuously through the investigation, giving false statements and communicating various health issues as to why she shouldn’t face charges.
"I’m pleased she has finally admitted the romance fraud charges against her, as well as several other fraud and theft offences relating to other victims. I hope that her victims can now start to move on from this traumatic experience.
"It is a huge breach of trust and self-esteem which can take years to recover from."
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