A DEVIZES woman was among the victims of dating site conman Sebastian Timmis. 

The Somerset man was jailed for nearly three-and-a-half years yesterday after he admitted defrauding 10 women out of almost £50,000. 

Welcoming the sentence handed down at Bristol Crown Court, PC Rory Everitt said of 29-year-old Timmis: “He clearly had no regard for his victims’ feelings and targeted people he knew were caring. He preyed on their generosity.”

Trust

Timmis met his victims on dating apps and websites, building their trust before claiming he urgently needed money. 

He pressured the women into transferring money by promising he would pay them back. He invented crises for which he urgently needed cash, such as paying for food or utility bills. The stolen money was splurged on gambling. 

Police said he defrauded 10 women out of more than £48,000 between January 2018 and September 2020. His victims included women from Bristol, Cheddar, Devizes, Bournemouth, Malvern, Cardiff, Birmingham and Cheltenham.

Timmis, of Hill View, Marksbury, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud by false representation. He was jailed for three years and four months.

Warning

PC Everitt of Avon and Somerset Police said: “Timmis’ scams were typical of romance fraud cases involving dating sites, where demands for cash are made from the victims, who feel pressurised to provide money for people they believe they can trust. Victims get told they need to provide the money quickly for urgent reasons, which often will be emotive and pull at heartstrings.

“We would urge anyone in that situation not to hand over money or personal details and to talk it through with family or friends if you feel under pressure. If the person you’ve met through the website genuinely cares for you as they claim, they will not object to you being cautious.

“And if you feel someone is trying to scam you, please report it to the police or Action Fraud – you could save yourself and others from falling victims to predatory fraudsters.”