A man considered the UK’s biggest romance fraudster has been sentenced to 17 years in prison by a Snaresbrook Crown Court judge. Nigel Baker, 56, deceived vulnerable women out of nearly £1m ($1.3m) by convincing them he was a successful online bookmaker.
Judge Charles Falk described Baker as “a charlatan” while issuing the longest UK sentence for romance fraud. According to the Manchester Evening News, Baker said “Happy Christmas” as he was led out of court to begin his prison term.
Baker targeted five divorced single mothers on dating apps like Plenty of Fish, tricking them into giving him hundreds of thousands, which he lost through gambling.
He was sentenced this week after an October conviction on 18 fraud counts related to five women, including a police officer, successful businesswomen, and accountants.
Snaresbrook Crown Court records reveal that Baker, obsessed with gambling, persuaded his victims to take loans of up to £200,000 ($266,510) and even sell their homes to invest in his alleged betting “business.”
Baker presented himself as an online bookmaker, enticing women to give him money to trade on betting platforms like Betfair, assuring them of “zero risk” because he was a bookie, not a gambler.
He used their money to gamble online, with records indicating that a Betfair account by a businesswoman victim showed losses of nearly £4m ($5.3m). She funded Baker’s accounts with a net £281,540 ($375,128).
Despite claims that the money was loaned, not gifted, Baker never repaid them. When his victims’ funds dried up, Baker sought new victims on dating apps.
An NHS nurse gave Baker savings meant for her child’s wedding, while a divorced police officer gave him nearly £80,000 ($106,589). She later expressed shame and disgust at being deceived, stating: “What I thought was love and connection was manipulation and deceit for financial gain.”
Judge Falk noted Baker was a gambling addict who was “far less successful than he wished he was.”
“Your purpose was pure financial gain. You didn’t care a jot for any of them, and you mercilessly and cynically exploited [their] trust.” The judge condemned Baker as “an entirely selfish individual that women need to be protected from.”
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: SCCGManagement.com