Jail for con-man charmer who told Tinder date he owned a Hot Air Balloon

A "charming" fraudster who told his Tinder date he had bought a hot air balloon has been jailed for four and a half years after scamming her out of £141,000.

38-year-old Richard Dexter duped his victim into investing in a bogus scheme, after spinning tall tales of his "high living", including claims he had Hollywood connections and private jet.

Portsmouth Crown Court was told that the father-of-two, of Southsea, Hants, told Amrita Sebastian, an Indian national living in Dubai, that he was worth £6.8 million when he first contacted her on the dating app in 2015. He persuaded her to pump money into a multimillion-pound biopharmaceutical technology deal with the promise of big returns of around £1.8 million.

Robert Bryan, prosecuting, said that at one stage, Dexter sent Ms Sebastian a message saying: "I am 32, most of my friends did college and uni, all of them have debts and worries and all earn £40,000 to £60,000. I bought a hot air balloon yesterday just because I could." Mr Bryan said Dexter spent the money on living expenses and to pay off debts to friends and family as well as for a payment to a classic car company. He added: "It must have been relatively high living."

John Lucas, defending, described his client as a "bright man, a charming man" and added: "He is sorry for what he has done. He is a well-educated young man who has made a big error of judgment."

The defendant previously admitted seven counts of fraud and was convicted of possession of articles for use in fraud and perverting the course of justice. Ms Sebastian alerted police in April 2017 after Dexter failed to pay her back anything, saying: "As Dexter had so much of my money, I felt trapped."

Dexter told the court: "I am very, very sorry. I can't justify myself or what I did."
Judge Timothy Mousley QC said while sentencing Dexter: "There is little sign of any remorse. You never spared a thought for her."
 

Whitestone Solicitors

Rochdale