The police missed 9 probabilities to cease Scotland’s most prolific romance fraudster, a BBC investigation has discovered.
In July 2024, Christopher Harkins was jailed for 12 years after a number of ladies reported him for utilizing courting websites like Tinder to rip-off ladies out of 1000’s of kilos.
Earlier than his conviction, a number of ladies went to the police to accuse him of recording intimate photos and movies with out consent, abuse, and making threats. These ladies have been typically dismissed as civil issues. Police Scotland instructed the BBC there have been no studies of bodily or sexual abuse at the moment.
Right here, we revisit Julie*’s story, who was a sufferer of a unique romance fraudster. In 2022, she shared her story with Deborah Linton…
Julie* had identified her courting app match for per week after they had their first date within the bar of a central London lodge.
She believed he was a profitable banker who was falling head over heels in love together with her. However, throughout their three-month relationship, the 31-year-old was duped out of £65,000 as she discovered herself the sufferer of an audacious courting con that, just like the victims in Netflix’s documentary The Tinder Swindler, noticed her lose every part to a stranger who promised her the world.
On the similar time that Leviev was being convicted of fraud, theft and forgery in 2019, Julie was calling time on her personal conman after they matched on a vetted website in July earlier that 12 months.
She explains, “I used to be able to quiet down. He was knowledgeable who claimed to need the identical issues. He was cultured, well-travelled, educated and occupied with my life, values and upbringing. Now, I do know he was utilizing that info to govern me. On the time, he was charming.”
The primary purple flag was virtually prompt, in line with Julie: “We messaged continuous. One of many first issues he stated was that he’d used a unique profile title so folks couldn’t look him up. He instructed me his actual title was Nick and confirmed me hyperlinks to Forbes articles that listed him as a high-flyer. I revered his need for privateness. It by no means crossed my thoughts that he was mendacity.”
They quickly moved their dialog on to WhatsApp, exchanging pictures and spending hours on telephone calls. Two days earlier than their first date, he claimed he’d misplaced his pockets at a celebration, sending pictures from the night time which later transpired to be years outdated.
Julie supplied to lend him £200. She paid their £75 bar invoice and the £300-a-night, five-star lodge room they checked into after the date: “He charmed everybody, even the barman appeared to know him. Our date was wonderful, sparks had flown all week.”
Over the subsequent three months, the stakes of their emotionally charged relationship have been raised.
Fraudulent fees for European lodge stays, designer garments and nights out appeared on her bank card. ‘Nick’– which she later found was an alias – stated he had been scammed too, claiming their playing cards will need to have been cloned throughout one other lodge keep. He confirmed her photos of a home he’d purchased however made excuses when she deliberate to go to. He invited her on a Mauritius vacation he’d received at a charity occasion however stated it had been cancelled on the final minute.
His most callous deceit got here when he claimed his six-year-old nephew – a boy he had shared pictures of – had died immediately, overseas, asking for £1,000 for a same-day flight.