A former Bristol boxer dubbed the 'Turkish Warrior' admitted fleecing a girlfriend by telling her his mum had cancer. And she handed over more money in an attempt to get her funds back, a court heard.
Umit Sucu pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud after taking £14,600 from the woman and using it to fund his lifestyle rather than making bank transfers to his mum as he claimed, the court was told. The 44-year-old, of Hamble Close in Thornbury, appeared for sentence at Bristol Crown Court.
The recorder Mr David Chidgey handed him a a 15-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He told Sucu: "(The complainant) was already recovering from an abusive relationship when she met you.
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"She needed someone to support her, not to treat her like you did. She says on a daily basis she felt alarm and distress and at times she felt physically sick."
Sucu was ordered to carry out 200 hours' unpaid work. After the court accepted he had already refunded the complainant £9,000, he was told to compensate her in the sum he said he owed of £7,120. He declined to comment as he left court.
Caitlin Evans, prosecuting, told the court the pair met in a pub and formed a relationship after Sucu declared his divorce had come through and he wanted to celebrate. Miss Evans said Sucu stated he had a house, savings and a job and was "pushy" when asking the woman if she had a house and savings. It was on a holiday in Tunisia when Sucu revealed his mum had breast cancer and he was struggling to access his bank account in Istanbul.
So began a protracted number of payments to him made by the woman, of some £13,600. But Miss Evans told the court: "The money was not transferred to the Turkish account. It was spent on every day items such as loans and tickets."
The court heard the woman handed over a further £1,000 after Sucu said he needed to pay a financial penalty after supposedly having money seized which he had attempted to bring into the UK.
Ultimately matters were reported to the police. But before Sucu's sentence he stated he repaid the complainant £9,000 via a mediator.
The woman made an impact statement in which she said the experience caused to have self-esteem issues. She said Sucu pleaded guilty on the first day of a planned trial - but could have done so earlier.
Susan Cavender, defending, said her remorseful client viewed the relationship as a warm and happy one, mutually supportive for much of the time. But she told the court: "Lies came into it which is why he pleaded guilty."
Miss Cavender's instructions were that Sucu's mum did have cancer and required ongoing treatment. She said Sucu was a boxer but had a heart attack in 2016 before working as a doorman and boxing coach.
The court hear that after a lay-off from work he is about to resume employment and would be able to further recompense the complainant. Sucu was deemed to pose a very low risk of reoffending, Miss Cavender said.
In his boxing days Sucu made history by being the first man to claim a newly-introduced English championship belt.
In 2016 the then 38-year-old fighter, nicknamed “The Turkish Warrior”, opened and closed the bout for the WFA English Super Heavyweight title at the “Best of the Best 3” event in Knowle with a flurry of hits, flooring rival Mark Smith within seconds of the start of the opening round.
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