Fraudster posed as footballer and claimed he had cancer to dupe victim out of £16k

HE MADE ROMANTIC PROMISES ABOUT MARRIAGE AND HAVING CHILDREN - BUT IT WAS ALL FOR HIS OWN SELFISH GAIN

- By JOEL MOORE

A DEVIOUS Nottingham romance fraudster who pretended to be a footballer for Burton Albion swindled a woman out of £16,000.

Hesaam Ghori, 27, spun a web of lies in order to extract cash from his victim, including that he and his sister had cancer and needed money for private treatment.

Nottingham Crown Court was told he struck up a close relationship with the woman, aged in her mid 20s, who he first contacted through Instagram in October 2021. They exchanged numerous messages in which Ghori claimed he was a professional footballer for Burton Albion and had a sponsorship deal with a clothing brand.

After meeting up in person, they spoke about marrying and starting a family together. But after forming a relationship, Ghori began to request money for a host of deceitful reasons - such as his sister requiring private treatment for cancer.