A judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court has sentenced a man identified as the UK’s biggest romance fraudster to 17 years in prison. Nigel Baker, 56, deceived vulnerable women out of nearly £1 million ($1.3 million) by convincing them he was a successful online bookmaker.
Judge Charles Falk called Baker “a charlatan” while imposing the UK’s longest-ever sentence for romance fraud. According to the Manchester Evening News, Baker muttered “Happy Christmas” when he was led out of the courtroom to begin his prison sentence.
Baker used dating apps, including Plenty of Fish, to target five divorced single mothers, convincing them to hand over large sums of money that he gambled away.
Baker’s sentencing followed his October conviction on 18 counts of fraud by false representation, involving five female victims, including a police officer and business professionals.
Court records show Baker, who had a gambling obsession, persuaded his victims to take out loans up to £200,000 ($266,510) and sell their homes to invest in his supposed betting “business.”
He claimed to be an online bookie and told the women they could secure a financial future by giving him money to “trade” on platforms like Betfair, promising “zero risk” to their funds.
Baker gambled their money, and records indicate that a Betfair account set up by a businesswoman victim had losses totaling nearly £4 million ($5.3 million). This woman funded Baker’s accounts with a net sum of £281,540 ($375,128).
Despite the women asserting the funds were loans and not gifts, Baker did not repay them. When the victims’ money was depleted, he sought new victims through dating apps.
An NHS nurse gave Baker her child’s wedding savings, while a divorced police officer who handed over nearly £80,000 ($106,589) expressed shame and disgust, stating, “What I thought was love and connection was manipulation and deceit for financial gain.”
Judge Falk said Baker was a gambling addict, describing him as “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 stated, labeling Baker “an entirely selfish individual that women need to be protected from.”
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: SCCGManagement.com