Serial romance fraudster given 17 years in jail

A MAN believed to be Britain's biggest romance fraudster has been jailed for 17 years after betting away the life savings of vulnerable women.

- BY JAMES GAMBLE

Gambling addict Nigel Baker, 56, targeted five divorced single mums on dating apps such as Plenty of Fish and convinced them to hand over hundreds of thousands of pounds.

A Betfair account paid into by one victim and used by Baker had losses of nearly £4million.

She paid out a net total of £281,540 to his accounts, the court heard.

The father-of-two took nearly £1million from his victims, who included police officers, successful businesswomen and accountants, a trial heard.

An NHS nurse gave him savings which were meant to pay for her child's wedding.