A WOMAN from Amesbury was left nearly £30,000 out of pocket and emotionally devastated after falling victim to a manipulative romance fraudster now jailed for a decade.

Simon Turner, 49, of Brockenhurst, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday after admitting fraud and theft offences spanning 2024 to 2025.

The sentence also covers similar crimes in Dorset and Reading.

The court heard how Turner targeted a woman from Amesbury after meeting her on a dating website. What began as a relationship quickly turned into a calculated scam.

He made promises of holidays that were repeatedly cancelled, before convincing her he had more than £60,000 tied up in a property account he could not access.

Over time, she transferred large sums of money, paid fines on his behalf, and even hired him a van costing around £2,000.

In one case, he claimed to have bought her a BMW, which never existed. On another occasion, she paid £5,000 for a caravan that also never arrived.

By the time the truth emerged, Turner had taken £28,640.

The victim later discovered he was living in a caravan and struggling with a gambling addiction.

She described feeling suicidal and blamed herself for letting her children down.

In a powerful statement, she said: “I was lonely and vulnerable when I first met Simon. I had no confidence. He made lots of promises and told me what I wanted to hear.

“He stole mine and my son’s financial security, I don’t trust anyone now. He was very believable and convincing with the things he’d tell me. His actions have been detrimental to my mental health, to the point of feeling suicidal.

“I feel hurt, isolated, embarrassed, angry and judged. Even though people haven’t directly said ‘I told you so’ or called me stupid, I feel judged, nonetheless. My kindness was used against me.”

A ten-year restraining order has also been imposed.

Local investigator Sophie Vowles said: “Turner deliberately manipulated his victim’s trust over a prolonged period… In reality, he was exploiting her kindness to feed his own gambling addiction.

“Romance fraud is a callous crime that leaves deep emotional and financial scars… we will pursue and bring to justice those who target vulnerable people in this way.”