A model told several men she was about to inherit a large fortune but used the lie to con them out of thousands of pounds for hotels, gambling and even a wedding
A model turned romance fraudster conned men out of tens of thousands of pounds to fund her expensive lifestyle.
Gemma Kingsley, 50, spent four years weaving a web of lies with several victims by tricking them into relationships with her and telling them she would soon inherit a large fortune.
She used the lie 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. The model, from Beadnell, Northumberland, has pleaded guilty to more than a dozen counts of theft and fraud.
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Wiltshire Police said that in 2019 the force received a report that Kingsley had fraudulently used the bank details of her mother’s friend to pay for a stay at Cromhall Farm, near Chippenham.
An investigation was launched and several probes into Kingsley from other forces were passed to Wiltshire Police. Detectives discovered that between January 2016 and January 2018 Kingsley was in a relationship with the victim, during which she informed him she was due to receive a multi-million-pound inheritance. The woman even producing forged letters from professionals as proof.
Court documents show Kingsley claimed to the victim she was inheriting a “total inheritance fund” of £42 million from her grandfather and a solicitor said she would be receiving £16 million.
As a result, the victim spent tens of thousands of pounds on furniture for a new home, dental bills, her debts and a wedding which did not take place – assuming he would be reimbursed through the inheritance. She also used his bank cards to steal money and opened a betting account in his name, put a large amount of his money and lost it through gambling. This victims “lost in excess of £100,000”, shocking documents showed.
After the breakdown of this relationship in 2018, Kingsley started dating with another victim in 2019 – again misleading him about the fake inheritance. He helped with deposits for a Land Rover and a Porsche, as well as expensive hotel stays. The victim also ended up in lots of debt after she used his bank cards.
In two other brief relationships in the autumn of 2019, Kingsley again repeatedly used the victims’ personal and company bank cards to buy things without their knowledge. Police also found the model had committed theft and fraud against several other victims, including solicitor’s firms, lawyers and a bank, by falsifying documents and letters.
Kingsley was later charged with various offences but failed to attend to court. In June last year, she was arrested on the Isle of Skye after being spotted speeding.
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 a number of other fraud and theft offences relating to other victims. I hope that her victims can now start to move on from this traumatic experience.”
