A model from Northumberland has received a prison sentence exceeding seven years after defrauding multiple men through elaborate romantic deceptions.
Gemma Kingsley, 50, who resides in Beadnell, manipulated her victims over a four-year period by persuading them to part with tens of thousands of pounds to fund her luxurious lifestyle.
Swindon Crown Court heard how she constructed an elaborate network of falsehoods to exploit the men she targeted.
The fraudster entered into relationships under false pretences, convincing her victims that she stood to receive a vast inheritance from her deceased grandfather.
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She used this fabricated wealth to pressure men into funding her lavish spending habits, including preparations for a wedding.
Beyond the inheritance deception, Kingsley employed additional tactics to sustain her fraudulent lifestyle.
She created counterfeit documents and arranged meetings at banks to lend credibility to her claims of imminent wealth.
The court was told she also organised viewings of properties worth millions of pounds to reinforce the illusion.
Gemma Kingsley spun a 'web of lies' conning men out of over £100k to fund her luxury lifestyle
|WILTSHIRE POLICE
At various points, she told victims the inheritance could be worth as much as £80million.
Her extravagant tastes extended to luxury accommodation, with the fraudster using stolen bank card details and false payment information to cover bills at upmarket hotels.
These included stays at a five-star Alpine resort in France costing thousands of pounds.
Sentencing Kingsley, Judge Jason Taylor KC delivered a scathing assessment of her conduct.
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"Your duplicity and brass neck is staggering," he told her.
"You are a conwoman who traded on her charm, charisma and good looks to entice and ensnare victims without any regard to the trial of destruction being left behind in your wake".
The judge noted that her primary method of manipulation was emotional, making men believe their genuine affection was reciprocated.
He highlighted that two of her victims had recently gone through divorces, leaving them particularly susceptible to her schemes.
"Blinded by your greed, you persistently and manipulatively pulled whatever lever you thought necessary to extract as much as you could to fund an extravagant lifestyle," he added.
Judge Taylor KC described Kingsley as "a financial predator always on the prowl for easy prey".
He remarked that the elaborate fantasy she constructed was so convincing that victims could hardly be blamed for believing it.
"Bluntly, most people are not that divorced from reality," he observed.
The judge said her complete absence of remorse was equalled only by her cunning in extracting every possible penny from one target before seeking out the next.
At an earlier hearing, Kingsley admitted six theft offences, four counts of fraud by false representation, two charges of using false instruments, and possessing an article intended for fraud.