Romance fraudster who posed as footballer jailed

A man who posed as a professional footballer to con a woman out of more than £16,000 in a "cynical" romance fraud has been jailed.

Nottinghamshire Police said Hesaam Ghori, 27, span "a web of lies" to befriend and exploit his victim with romantic promises over a 14-month period.

Detectives said the 27-year-old's lies included that he was a player for Burton Albion and that he and his sister had cancer and needed money to pay for private treatment.

Ghori, from Nottingham, was jailed for two years and four months at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday after admitting four counts of fraud by false representation.

Police said Ghori initially contacted his victim, from Nottingham, via Instagram in 2021 after seeing her profile on a dating website.

The pair exchanged messages in which he claimed to have a sponsorship deal with a clothing brand through his fictitious football career.

Police said when they finally met in person, Ghori told the woman he loved her and wanted to marry her.

Detectives said Ghori then started to ask the woman for money for a range of reasons - each time promising to pay her back before making excuses not to.

Police said Ghori's deceptions were exposed when the woman came across a post on TikTok that showed him at a wedding on the same day he said he would be in hospital undergoing cancer treatment.

She contacted police, who arrested Ghori in April 2024, by which time she had given him £16,203.71.

An investigation found he had also conned three other victims in Leeds, Bradford, and Reading, who he had duped out of £2,320, £350 and £521, respectively.

Police said each of the other victims suffered a considerable emotional impact from Ghori's actions

The Nottingham victim said she had suffered a "heartless" deception and "emotional devastation".

In a statement read in court, she said: "Over several months we communicated daily, sharing stories, dreams, and plans for the future.

"I began to trust him deeply, and he made me believe we were building a real relationship and at some point, we'd get married and start a family together.

"As the relationship developed, Hesaam began to plead for significant amounts of money, telling me he needed funds for medical emergencies, i.e his sister having cancer, himself having cancer.

"Hesaam told me he needed money for flights to visit family abroad for family emergencies, house burdens, and money to pay for our wedding.

"On each occasion Hesaam promised he'd pay me back in full.

"I felt compelled to assist Hesaam as I loved him. I transferred money repeatedly, believing it would alleviate his difficulties and bring us closer."

She added: "When Hesaam told me he and his little sister were battling cancer, I felt an overwhelming sense of compassion and responsibility to support them.

"I poured my heart into being there for them emotionally and financially, believing that I was helping someone I loved through a life-threatening ordeal.

"The most painful part of it all is now knowing that Hesaam exploited my kindness and manipulated me to make financial gains for himself.

"Every word he said, every message he sent, every promise he made and every tearful plea he made was calculated to manipulate me.

"Learning that this was a complete fabrication has left me feeling utterly betrayed and devastated."

The court heard Ghori had exploited his victims' "kindness and generosity" to fund a lifestyle that served his own pleasure, including plane tickets to Pakistan, a moderately expensive car and football tickets to Liverpool games.

Det Con Nabeel Dad said: "Ghori went to great lengths to build rapport with his victims and gain their trust, before fabricating stories to exploit them out of vast sums.

"He demonstrated a cynical disregard for his victims, grooming them with romantic promises before manipulating them for his own selfish financial gain."

Ghori was also given a five-year restraining order preventing him from contacting his victims.

Police said a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing would be held at a future date.

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.