David Griffiths, a 52-year-old man from Malvern, Worcestershire, has been brought to justice for his brazen deception, after admitting to two counts of fraud by misrepresentation. Behind the façade of a wealthy pilot and former Army major who had served alongside Prince Harry, Griffiths was in reality a man with limited means, who concocted elaborate lies to extract £14,678.42 from two unsuspecting women.
Griffiths' modus operandi involved fabricating a series of intricate details designed to elicit sympathy and trust from his victims. He claimed to be an operations director for a non-existent helicopter company in Canary Wharf, earning a salary of £120,000 – a far cry from his actual earnings of between £20,000 and £30,000. He later posed as a search and rescue pilot for Bristow Helicopters at RAF St Athan.
Griffiths' victims were meticulously targeted through dating applications. One victim, Joanne Brandon-Hodgkinson, a 56-year-old NHS director, was persuaded to loan him money and even paid for her share of what she believed was a booked luxury holiday to Dubai and Thailand. Griffiths provided her with fabricated itineraries and a booking reference number, but his deceit began to unravel when he attempted to purchase a £650,000 house in Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan.
The elaborate property deception was eventually exposed when conveyancing paperwork revealed Griffiths' true identity and history of fraud. The homeowner, Amanda Sarll, informed Ms Brandon-Hodgkinson that the sale had fallen through and that Griffiths was not who he claimed to be. It transpired that Griffiths was actually employed at Newberry International Produce in Newent, Gloucestershire, and rented, rather than owned, the £900,000 Oxfordshire property.
Judge Paul Hobson noted that Griffiths had "simply didn't care" about his victims and engaged in "whopping lies" told with "elaborate detail." The emotional and financial impact on the victims was considerable, with Helen Moorefield stating she believed Griffiths had targeted other women. The victims hope that by speaking out, they can prevent others from falling prey to similar scams.