Dating site conman jailed after women lost £30,000

Jonathan Hill, of Corona Drive, Thorne, near Doncaster, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing at Sheffield Crown Court.

Hill was arrested in March last year following reports made to police by a woman claiming he had defrauded her of just over £18,000.

As part of the investigation, three further women were identified, who also claimed they had been defrauded by the defendant. The amounts totalled £28,785 and were deceptively obtained by Hill between December 2011 and August 2013.

Hill approached the women on internet dating sites, building up a relationship with them and gaining their trust to be able to defraud them by using bogus employment guises. He told one victim that he was an undercover prison officer and convinced her he needed money as he was unable to obtain cash from anywhere else without his cover being blown.

Speaking after the hearing, investigating officer DC Vicky Alcock said: “Victims of this type of deception often find it difficult to face what has happened and do not want to report it to police.

“Hill exploited and manipulated these women and took complete advantage of their trust. 
He knew exactly what he was doing.”