Model turned romance scammer who conned men out of £150,000 by lying about £80m inheritance jailed

WorldPolitics
26 Mar 2026 • 6:28 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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A model turned romance fraudster who conned men out of more than £150,000 has been jailed for more than seven years.

Gemma Kingsley, 50, of Beadnell, Northumberland, wove a web of lies over four years. She tricked men into relationships with her and informed them she was soon to inherit an £80m fortune, leveraging that to convince them to spend huge sums of money on her behalf, including on a planned wedding.

She also stole or used false bank card details to pay thousands of pounds for hotel stays, including at a five-star Alpine resort in France, Swindon Crown Court heard.

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.

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