A 'despicable' boyfriend has been put behind bars after he defrauded his partner of over £20,000.
Ben Millin claimed that he worked in international money markets but needed cash as he was the victim of an identity theft.
He spun a tangled web of lies, took out loans in the woman's name, controlled her access to mail and moved into her house until she could no longer afford the mortgage, Devon Live reports.
He even asked her to pretend that she had a mental illness and admit that a suspicious PayPal account was hers.
By the end of their relationship, the woman was so broke that she had lost her home and was living in her car.
After bleeding her dry of money the truth was finally revealed that Millin had a gambling addiction and had squandered her cash.
The defendant, who was living in Yeovil but has since moved to Exeter, has been jailed for two years at Taunton Crown Court. The judge described his crimes as 'despicable'.
He added: "This was the most appalling and cruel fraud committed over a long period against a woman who was then in love with you. Almost from the outset you lied to bleed her of money telling her a story about identity theft and bank problems."
Prosecutor Mr Harry Ahuja said the pair were in a relationship for two years. Millin told her he worked in the financial sector and travelled to London and Russia but was in difficulties due to an identity theft and could she give him money.
He moved in to her house in 2018 and she handed over about £1,300 a month or £22,500 during the course of the relationship.
She sold some of her possessions and also asked to borrow money from friends and family to pay for him. Between March and May 2019 Millin took out three pay day loans in her name without her knowledge. He had the keys to her post box and it was some time before the victim realised what he had done.
When she did confront him he spun her more lies, claiming he had only borrowed cash to buy her a new phone which she never received. When the woman could no longer afford her mortgage the pair moved in with parents but Millin continued to feed her lies.
Her told her he needed £750 to pay a deposit on a house they could rent together. They had to act fast and she would not have time to see it, he told her. On the day they were due to move in he claimed his best friend had died and it would not be possible. He later admitted making up the whole story.
The victim moved out of her parents' home and stayed at Airbnbs until the money ran out. She then lived in her car while continuing to work as a school teacher. She was so embroiled in debt that she showered and got food at her place of work.
Millin's lies began to unravel in February 2020 when PayPal asked the victim to verify an account. She told them she knew nothing about it and asked Millin. He got angry with her and said she should call them back and say she had a mental illness and had got muddled up. She refused and the pair broke up.
When quizzed by police Millin claimed she had agreed to lend him the money.
The victim was in court to hear the sentence. She read a statement about the impact. She was angry with him at the betrayal but sometimes felt sorry for him.
"I did not have a lot in my life possession-wise but what I had of my own was important and now I have nothing," she said. "I don't believe he is truly sorry." She said it would be difficult to rebuild her life and regain her independence having lost so much.
The defendant, now of St Andrew's Road, Exeter, admitted four counts of fraud. He has a previous conviction for a house burglary back in 2012.
The defendant, who represented himself, said there was no excuses for what he had done and he was sorry. He said he had made a 'horrible life decision' and was ashamed. But he was trying to make a better life for himself in the future and not asking for pity.
Judge Townsend said he remorse had been a long time coming and the impact on the victim had been devastating.
"No doubt you had a gambling habit," he said. "I accept you are trying to tackle that. But it doesn't begin to excuse what was a quite deliberate course against your partner knowing the effect it was having on her.
"There may be some hope for your rehabilitation but the only appropriate sentence is immediate custody."
The judge apologised to the victim for how long the case had come to court but said he under the circumstances it was not possible to award compensation. He did impose a 10-year restraining order for Millin not to contact her.
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