Luxury holidays and lost bank cards - how fake Army major defrauded women on dating apps

He presented arsenic a affluent pilot, a erstwhile Army large who served with Prince Harry, and a antheral with much than fractional a cardinal pounds currency astatine his disposal.

But these were conscionable immoderate of the lies David Griffiths told successful a bid to extract thousands of pounds from 2 women helium met connected dating apps.

Following his sentencing to three-and-a-half years successful situation for 2 counts of fraud by misrepresentation, his victims Joanne Brandon-Hodgkinson and Helen Moorefield anticipation that, by speaking out, they volition alert imaginable aboriginal victims.

"He groomed maine to person enactment to get fiscal summation for himself," said Helen.

"I judge this antheral has done this to different women, I bash not judge we're the lone ones."

Griffiths, 52, who is from Malvern successful Worcestershire, antecedently pleaded blameworthy to defrauding Joanne of £4,500 and Helen of £10,178.42.

Sentencing him connected Wednesday, Judge Paul Hobson said the Griffiths "simply didn't care" astir his victims erstwhile helium told "whopping lies".

He added Griffiths went into "elaborate detail" successful the stories helium made up and "the affectional impact... is hard to overstate".

NHS manager Joanne, from New Inn, Torfaen, met Griffiths connected the dating app Hinge successful August 2022.

"He was, I thought, rather handsome, helium was tall, helium was terribly good educated, and helium knew a batch astir a lot," said the 56-year-old.

Griffiths told her each astir his glittering Army career, and said helium was presently moving arsenic operations manager for a chopper institution successful London's Canary Wharf, with a wage of £120,000.

When constabulary investigated this assertion the institution did not beryllium and his wage was really betwixt £20,000 and £30,000 astatine this time.

Months aft getting together, helium said helium had changed jobs and was moving for Bristow Helicopters arsenic a hunt and rescue aviator astatine RAF St Athan successful southbound Wales.

"Our lives revolved astir his displacement pattern, truthful for 2 weeks of each period I didn't spot Dave," recalled Joanne.

"I americium present convinced that during that play helium was astir apt surviving a abstracted beingness with idiosyncratic else."

She said conscionable months into their narration the archetypal reddish flags began appearing.

"Whenever Dave needed to wage for thing helium would ne'er look to person his slope cards connected him," said Joanne.

Then, erstwhile helium began his caller occupation astatine RAF St Athan, determination was seemingly a hold successful him being paid, truthful she loaned him wealth to bargain caller apparel and a smartwatch.

When they decided to publication an exclusive vacation with extended household to Dubai and Thailand, Griffiths said helium would publication it and Joanne duly paid him backmost for her share.

"I didn't deliberation for a 2nd that the vacation didn't exist," said Joanne.

"I'd seen itineraries, I had a booking notation number."

Griffiths' lies unravelled erstwhile helium agreed to bargain a £650,000 location successful Llantwit Major successful the Vale of Glamorgan successful bid to beryllium person to his spot of work.

He presented arsenic a currency buyer, having already sold his farmhouse successful Oxfordshire. He recovered a builder, designer and kitchen-maker arsenic the merchantability progressed.

He and Joanne visited the spot respective times, connected 1 juncture to be the homeowner Amanda Sarll's status enactment and conscionable the neighbours.

But it each unravelled erstwhile a comparative of Griffiths got upwind of the merchantability aft conveyancing paperwork was sent to their home.

They rang the property cause handling the merchantability and told them helium was not successful information a affluent aviator but a antheral with a past of fraud.

After being informed the merchantability had fallen through, Amanda picked up the telephone to Joanne to archer her the antheral she was dating was not who helium said helium was.

In reality, the tribunal was told, Griffiths was employed astatine Newberry International Produce successful Newent, Gloucestershire, and rented the £900,0000 Oxford spot alternatively than owning it.

"You person a question of panic acceptable implicit you," said Joanne, recalling that telephone call.

"The archetypal happening I did was telephone the constabulary and I phoned my bank."

She besides phoned the vacation institution who confirmed the booking notation that Griffiths had fixed her didn't exist.

"After that, that's erstwhile the humiliation deed maine - I truly didn't privation to beryllium the idiosyncratic that this had happened to, I didn't privation to beryllium a unfortunate of a fraud and a fraudster."

She said erstwhile she confronted Griffiths helium initially denied everything earlier admitting helium had lied due to the fact that helium had ne'er felt bully enough.

Joanne ended the narration with Griffiths successful July 2023.

Little implicit a period later, Griffiths met Helen connected the dating app Bumble.

"He was precise charismatic, we had truly bully conversations... we ne'er argued," said Helen, a concern proprietor from South Gloucestershire.

Before long, she was falling successful love.

"He showed maine pictures of his Army life," said the 57-year-old.

"He explained to maine helium flew successful the Army with Prince Harry... that he'd been changeable down successful 1 of his helicopters."

The tribunal heard helium told Helen helium had served successful the Army aerial corps for 27 years, and was an Apache chopper aviator until 2018.

But, arsenic the narration progressed, Griffiths became much and much unreliable - often cancelling plans astatine the past minute.

Helen said 1 clip helium told her his sister had died, different clip helium said that his lad had been successful a car crash.

When helium did crook up, helium seemed to beryllium perpetually misplacing his slope cards and leaving Helen to prime up the bill.

When confronted by Helen, aft she became suspicious, helium admitted helium was not a pilot, but said helium had wanted to impressment her. He past tried to person her to bargain a £20,000 camper van.

Then came the exclusive safari vacation - helium said he'd booked it and Helen paid him back.

His deceit was uncovered erstwhile Helen's lad smelt a rat and applied for Clare's Law, external, wherever you tin inquire if idiosyncratic has a past of abusive offending.

His erstwhile past of fraud was exposed erstwhile constabulary contacted Helen.

"My full satellite came crashing down," recalled Helen.

"I consciousness embarrassed... I consciousness violated, I consciousness coerced, I consciousness similar he's groomed me."

David Pinnell, prosecuting, told the tribunal Griffiths had lied to some women "about his occupation, his wealth, his subject past and his aboriginal and past acquisition of properties".

Daniel Jones, representing Griffiths, said his lawsuit "does explicit remorse for what helium has done and helium is sorry, for what it is worth, to the 2 victims".

The tribunal besides heard astir a erstwhile condemnation Griffiths received for fraud. At Worcester Crown Court successful 2020, helium was convicted for 10 counts of fraud involving a foundation and received a suspended condemnation of 18 months.

Griffiths was sentenced for fraud by misrepresentation connected Wednesday, but some Joanne and Helen felt this was inadequate, fixed everything they experienced.

"I consciousness precise powerfully that this is much than fraud," said Joanne.

"Whilst I gave my consent to a intersexual relationship, had I known what I cognize now, I would ne'er person done that and I deliberation it's truly important that the Sexual Offences Act has that proviso written into it.

"I deliberation it's a usurpation of spot and a assurance successful a narration - and that should beryllium seen arsenic a transgression arsenic well."

Both women person had the wealth Griffiths defrauded them of reimbursed by their banks.

The MoD told the BBC its records showed helium had lone ever been successful the Territorial Army, present called the Army Reserve, and was besides a erstwhile Army Cadet Force volunteer.

Bristow Helicopters, which operates the hunt and rescue basal astatine MOD St Athan, said it had nary grounds of him moving for them.

Griffiths volition look a proceeds of transgression proceeding connected 23 November.

Both Joanne and Helen said they were unhappy with however the constabulary dealt with their cases.

Joanne said she had not had a affirmative acquisition with Gwent Police and had experienced mediocre connection from the force.

She believed her lawsuit was not ever taken earnestly due to the fact that it was seen arsenic a romance fraud.

Gwent Police said Joanne gave them her archetypal relationship connected 9 July 2023 and David Griffiths gave 2 voluntary interviews connected 18 December 2024 and 6 January 2025.

"For a play during the probe into David Griffiths, determination was lapse successful connection with 1 of the victims and a written apology was issued," a spokeswoman said.

It added it investigated each reports of fraud, including romance fraud, thoroughly and hoped the palmy condemnation of Griffiths demonstrated that "anyone coming guardant to study volition beryllium taken seriously".

Helen said she faced hours of questioning aft Griffiths' lies were exposed, thing she recovered an ordeal.

She besides said she had to facilitate the handing implicit of accusation betwixt forces.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police, which dealt with Helen's lawsuit earlier it was handed onto Gwent Police, said: "We're atrocious for immoderate further vexation and distress caused during the lengthy investigation. We are ever trying to amended the work we connection to radical who are targeted by these heartless fraudsters."

Both women said radical had asked them however they didn't cognize they were being lied to - but they garbage to consciousness shame implicit Griffiths' crimes.

"You consciousness ashamed successful the opening but I don't consciousness ashamed anymore," said Joanne.

"He is the perpetrator... helium infiltrated my beingness and my household and my finances. He should beryllium the 1 that should consciousness the shame, not me."