Romance fraudster tricked girlfriend out of £15,000 saying he needed to pay for his still-living mother's funeral - but still avoids jail
A romance fraudster told his girlfriend that his mother was dead and needed money for her funeral as he swindled her out of more than £15,000.
Andrew New claimed that he needed his partner's cash in order to arrange his mother's funeral, despite her remaining alive and well to this day.
She also transferred him money to enable him to buy Champions League final tickets on the empty promise that he would pay her back.
But the 'born again Christian', who previously found himself in the dock after scamming a woman who he met on dating website Plenty of Fish, has been spared an immediate prison sentence due to his case taking years to come to court.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that New, from the Wirral area, had been in a relationship with Sarah Haslam between April and June 2022.
During this time, the 36-year-old made repeated requests for her to transfer money into his bank account, as well as those of a friend and his 'Uncle Joe', for a 'variety of fabricated reasons'.
Henry Riding, prosecuting, described how these included having forgotten to take his credit card while filling up his car at a petrol station and a wish to purchase tickets for Liverpool FC's 2022 Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris.
She also gave him thousands of pounds under the pretence that he needed to 'make funeral arrangements' for his own mum in spite of her being 'alive and well'.
New, who now resides in a rehab facility run by Betel UK in Motherwell, Scotland, 'promised to pay her back in due course, but never did'.
This led to him pocketing a total of £15,734.65 of Ms Haslam's money during a period of only two-and-a-half months.
Reading a statement from the witness box, she said: 'As a result of what happened to me, I'm exhausted both mentally and emotionally.
'I've told very few people what they did to me three years ago. I say they, because I can't say their name out loud.
'This was a person I believed cared deeply for me. I now know I was manipulated by them.
'I gave this person everything I had. In return, I was controlled and coerced until they broke me. I've lost part of myself.
'I considered myself a good judge of character. I now realise I was a pawn in their game, played by a first class method actor. I still struggle to understand how I let them do this to me.
'This person's narcissism led me to believe I could never do better.
'Three years on, I still live the trauma. I felt like I had ruined my life. A day doesn't go by when I don't feel the hurt, pain and shame for not recognising what was happening to me.'
While New was initially arrested in June 2022, he did not first appear in court until August last year.
Having pleaded guilty during his first appearance before the crown court a fortnight later, his case did not proceed to sentence until now due to ongoing proceeding against the two other men whose bank accounts were used as part of the scam.
But charges were ultimately dropped against them by the Crown Prosecution Service.
New has a total of four previous convictions for four offences, including being handed a two-year community order for fraud by magistrates in 2019.
This came after he stole £200 in relation to 'non-existent football tickets' from a woman who he befriended on Plenty of Fish.
He also attempted to procure further funds from this victim, who he never met in person, in order to 'visit an aunt, who he described as ill'.
Paul Becker, defending, told the court: 'The defendant is sorry for what he has done. He did not know, first thing today, that the victim was going to be present. Having heard her victim personal statement, he is utterly ashamed of himself.
'This is an unusual case. The delay, in some respects, helps the defendant, because he has been able to rebuild his life.
'He has moved to Scotland. He has been at a rehab centre for the last year.
'He works six days a week helping people. Because he is working, he gets free accommodation.
'He has been able to move away from this area, from obviously problematic relationships and the addiction he has had.
'He has stayed off cocaine. That was the blight of his life. He is utterly ashamed of what he has done. What he has done is disgraceful. He can only say that it was because of drugs.
'He has an unattractive record. He has done his best since he moved away to try to turn his life around.
'If the defendant goes to jail today, he spends a few months in jail, he comes out on licence and he is back to square one.
'Everybody wants Mr New to be rehabilitated, to stay off drugs, to stay away from a situation where he is essentially stealing and to be a working, productive member of society.
'My submission is that the defendant should be given a chance today.'
New admitted one count of fraud by false representation.
Appearing in the dock wearing a navy blue body warmer over a beige long sleeved top, he was handed a 21-month imprisonment suspended for 20 months with 180 hours of unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days and a 12-month condition of residence.
Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: 'On many occasions you asked her to make transfers, saying that you owed others money or you were paying for items such as petrol, funeral arrangements for your mother, although she was alive and well, and football tickets.
'All of these transfers flowed on the basis that you would pay her back. You never did. You had no intention of doing so.
'It was palpable, the impact of your offending on this victim. She believed that you cared for her, but you manipulated her and left her emotionally shut down.
'She struggles to trust others. It is clear that these feelings continue. What you did has caused her very significant financial difficulties.
'She is still now, three years on, repaying monies which you took from her. That has delayed her ability to buy her own home.
'You are described as now showing insight into the consequences of your offending.
'You have accepted full responsibility. You had issues with the use of cocaine. You are now residing in a Christian rehabilitation facility. You now identify as a born again Christian.
'You work on a charitable basis six days a week, paying for your accommodation. You act as a mentor. You have expressed remorse and shame and want to apologise to your victim.
'As Mr Becker puts it, you have rebuilt your life. You have tackled, or are in the process of tackling, your addiction, which underlines all of your offending.
'The mitigation in your case all flows from one thing. That is the delay in bringing this case to resolution, a delay of around three years. It cannot be said that the delay is attributable to your actions.
'That delay means that you can show that you have committed no further offences and allows Mr Becker to identify that you have turned your life around in that three-year period. That is very significant.
'This is a case where appropriate punishment could only be achieved by an immediate custodial sentence.
'However, there is the significant issue in this case, which I am obliged to take into account. That is the fact that the offending is now three years old.
'Had you been sentenced closer in time to the commission of this offence, I have no doubt that an immediate custodial sentence would have been the only correct disposal. You are not being sentenced close in time to your offending.
'An immediate custodial sentence would mean a number of months in prison, the removal of your support network and, frankly, has the potential of unpicking the progress that has been
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