Romance fraudster ordered to pay £32,000 back to victim

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A fraudster who conned a woman he met on a dating app into handing over her savings has been ordered to pay back £32,000 to the victim.

Kye Hughes, of Rochester, told her he was a musician and for extra money invested in luxury watches, suggesting that if she did the same she would double her money.

Kent Police said the 35-year-old received thousands of pounds from his victim who believed it was a legitimate scheme, and asked for more funds, promising a return on her investment which never materialised.

The woman reported the fraud to the force and Hughes was arrested in 2019.

He was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court in October 2023 for three years and four months for fraud by false representation and money laundering, according to Kent Police.

At a further hearing at the same court on September 27 this year, he was ordered to pay back £32,144 to the victim by December 24 or face a further 12 months in prison.

Kent Police Detective Inspector David Godfrey said: “Our work does not stop at the point of conviction – we will always do everything we can to get as much money as possible back for victims.

“In this case, the woman was left heartbroken and under serious financial strain after being defrauded out of her life savings. I hope the compensation from the confiscation order will go towards helping her in the recovery of this ordeal.”

Chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) proceeds of crime division, Adrian Foster, said: “Romance fraud is a cruel deception that preys on the unique trust and vulnerability that exists in intimate relationships.

“Kye Hughes manipulated the victim, stealing from her, threatening her and leaving her with debt and unimaginable stress.”

From 2019 to 2024, £450 million has been recovered from convicted criminals through CPS confiscation orders, including £88 million returned to victims of crime, a CPS spokesman added.