Conman, 29, told vulnerable woman he met through Plenty Of Fish he was a lawyer, moved into her house and then convinced her she was pregnant with twins after being drugged and raped by strangers – before accusing HER of domestic abuse
- Carwyn Roberts, 29, was sentenced to two years in jail suspended for two years
- He met a vulnerable woman on Plenty of Fish in 2018 and then moved in with her
- He lied about buying their ‘dream home’ and convinced her that she was raped
- Roberts set up fake email accounts and even persuaded her she was pregnant
A conman who posed as a doctor and a lawyer persuaded a vulnerable woman he met through a dating site that she had been raped and was pregnant before accusing her of domestic abuse.
Carwyn Roberts, 29, from Gwynedd, Wales, met his victim, who has not been identified, through dating website Plenty of Fish in 2018 before moving into her flat and beginning his deception.
He created a series of fake email accounts to convince the woman that she had been drugged and sexually abused, while he also persuaded her to give up her job at a school, saying he had secured a job for her with the local council.
Roberts subjected his victim to months of deception, including lying to her about buying their ‘dream home’, which was said to have had a devastating impact on her mental health, Mold Crown Court heard.
He even convinced his partner she was pregnant with twins, but the police were alerted when her brother’s partner noticed something was amiss with the ultrasound scan. During a police interview, Roberts accused his partner of domestic abuse.
Roberts was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years after pleading guilty to engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.
Carwyn Roberts (pictured), 29, from Gwynedd, Wales, met his victim, who has not been identified, through dating website Plenty of Fish in 2018 before moving into her flat in Bangor
Jade Tufail, prosecuting, told the court that after Roberts and his victim met through Plenty of Fish in 2018, he moved into her flat in Bangor, north west Wales.
Their relationship was described as ‘amazing’ and the victim’s young daughter even referred to Roberts as ‘daddy Carwyn’, the court was told.
The woman’s previous relationship had ended ‘acrimoniously’ and had left her ‘in a bad way’, including engaging in self-harming. She told Roberts about these issues.
Miss Tufail said Roberts told the woman he was inheriting £300,000 from his grandfather’s brother and that he would use the money to buy their dream home.
The couple went to view houses together and settled on a property in a new Redrow development in Bangor, with Roberts telling the woman his family’s solicitors would handle the legal work.
But there was no money or family lawyer doing the conveyancing work, and the emails the woman received about the house purchase were being sent by her partner from a bogus account he had set up, the court was told.
Roberts (pictured) created fake email accounts to convince the woman that she had been drugged and sexually abused, and lied to her about buying their ‘dream home’
Roberts then told his partner he was receiving ‘prank’ calls from people claiming she was being unfaithful and claimed a solicitor was looking into who was sending them.
He said he had discovered there were hidden cameras in her flat which had filmed her having sex with men, and began to quiz her about her sex life, the court heard.
The woman insisted no such activity had taken place but Roberts, through the bogus solicitor, told her she couldn’t remember what happened because she had been drugged and sexually abused, and the police were involved.
Miss Tufail said that at the same time, Roberts started emailing his partner from another fake email account, claiming to be a woman called Amanda Davies, who supposedly worked with him in the local authority.
His victim was persuaded by ‘Amanda Davies’ to give up her employment in a local school with the promise of job in the council.
Roberts even came home with a work badge in his partner’s name along with training and induction materials in a bid to sell the deception, the court was told.
A fake council email account then contacted the victim to say her partner had been drugged at work in a leisure centre in Caernarfon by an associate of her ex-boyfriend.
Over the following days, more emails were sent supposedly containing information from a nurse, saying the drugging incident had affected Roberts’ sperm and he would not be able to have children.
The court was told that the victim ‘broke down crying’ after being told this news because she had wanted to have a child with the defendant.
The email account under the name of Amanda Davies then started giving the woman instructions about having sex with Roberts to increase their chances of conceiving.
He convinced his partner she was pregnant, but police were alerted when her brother’s partner noticed something was amiss with the ultrasound, Mold Crown Court heard (pictured)
Meanwhile, the charade about the purchase of the non-existent house was ongoing and the victim, their daughter and Roberts were even packing for the move, the court heard.
Miss Tufail said the victim had effectively been ‘brainwashed’ into doing whatever the people in the emails told her to do.
Then, Roberts came home with an ultrasound scan showing a pregnancy with twins and convinced his partner that she was pregnant.
The court heard he also sent her emails from another bogus account, which claimed to be a doctor, confirming her pregnancy.
It was later revealed that Roberts had carried out extensive internet searches to get a fake ultrasound image.
The victim was said to be ‘confused’ about the scan and the emails from the supposed doctor, but the couple still told her brother the happy news, the court heard.
But her brother’s partner noticed something wasn’t right with the scan and raised the alarm. The police were contacted and an investigation then uncovered the extent of the defendant’s deceit.
Roberts (pictured) was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years after pleading guilty to engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship
In his first police interview, Roberts claimed his partner had been ‘duped by somebody else’, but in his second interview he accused his partner of domestic abuse.
In a statement from the woman, which was read to the court, she said she felt ashamed and manipulated by the lies Robert had told her.
She claimed that Roberts had been aware of her vulnerabilities and had ‘exploited every single one of them’, the court heard.
Roberts, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty on the day of trial to engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.
Richard Edwards, for Roberts, said at the time of the offending, the defendant was conscious of his own ‘perceived inadequacies’ and wanted to ‘make himself look better’ in the eyes of his partner.
But matters quickly escalated and, in his client’s own words, ‘the lies got bigger and bigger’.
Mr Edwards said Roberts was taking part in counselling to address the issues in his life and said he was in a new relationship with someone who was aware of the court case and was supporting him.
Judge Niclas Parry told Roberts that if the offending were not so serious, people who heard the bizarre facts of the case would have trouble believing it.
He told the defendant he had taken advantage of a vulnerable woman to control her life, describing his behaviour as ‘cruel’, ‘manipulative and despicable’.
Roberts was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years, which had been discounted by 10 per cent for his guilty plea.
He was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and 250 hours of unpaid work, while he also has to pay £3,230 towards prosecution costs.
Roberts was also banned from contacting his former partner or posting anything about her on social media under a lifelong restraining order.
Speaking after the hearing, Rhian Jones, senior crown prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Wales, said: ‘The level of manipulation that Carwyn Roberts exerted on his partner is quite staggering and the effect on her mental health must have been awful.
‘The CPS were able to build a strong case showing the number of fake accounts and emails could be traced back to him, demonstrating he had told lie after lie.
‘The victim can take comfort in knowing that Roberts is now paying for the horrendous ordeal he put her through and we hope this helps her move forward with her life.’
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