Romance fraudster who posed as retired army helicopter pilot jailed

Nation.Cymru staff

A serial romance scammer who told his victims he was a retired Army Major and had been shot down in Afghanistan has been jailed for three and a half years.

David Griffiths, from Malvern, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation after conning two women he met on dating apps, one of whom was from Torfaen, out of more than £15,000.

The 52-year-old lied to his victims about a successful military career and his financial situation, convincing his victims to lend money or transfer money for holidays and items that would not materialise. He also falsely claimed that he sold a £900,000 house in Oxford and that he earned a salary of £120,00 a year.

He told one of his victims, Joanne Brandon-Hodgkinson, a Welsh NHS director, that he would “off set” the money he owed her from cancelled holidays with a holiday to Dubai and Phuket, and he convinced the other victim to part with £5,000 for an investment opportunity.

Griffiths had a previous conviction for ten counts of fraud from 2020, where he received a suspended sentence of 18 months. Both victims have had their money reimbursed by their banks.

Supervising officer, DS Alistair Frame said: “Romance fraud isn’t just about the financial loss. It is a huge breach of trust, and leaves people questioning everything they thought they knew.

“Romance fraudsters, like David Griffiths, are manipulative, and often incredibly convincing.

“We’d like to thank the victims for coming forward to report Griffiths and encourage anyone who thinks they’ve been a victim of romance fraud to not feel embarrassed or ashamed but rather report it.”

Gwent Police urge anyone who believes they may have been targeted to report it to Report Fraud. 

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.