A man believed to be Britain's biggest romance fraudster who bet away almost £1million of life savings from vulnerable women has been jailed for an unprecedented 17 years.

Nigel Baker preyed on five divorced single mothers he met on dating sites, including Plenty of Fish, spinning a web of lies that persuaded them to hand over hundreds of thousands of pounds each.

The 56-year-old gambling addict from Essex assured his victims their money was 'safe' and carried no risk, claiming he was an online bookie rather than a gambler. In reality, he squandered their life savings on betting platforms such as Betfair.

One account funded by a victim and controlled by Baker racked up losses of almost £4million, a court heard. 

The 'charming' fraudster stole close to £1million from five middle-aged women, which included police officers, businesswomen and accountants, while maintaining overlapping relationships and promising them marriage or a shared future. 

Jailing Baker, from Romford, for 17 years, His Honour Judge Charles Falk branded him a 'charlatan'. 

It is believed to be the longest sentence ever imposed in Britain for romance fraud.

Shamelessly, as he was led from the dock, Baker muttered 'Happy Christmas', prompting gasps from victims and their families. 

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that other victims have since come forward, with alleged losses pushing the total far beyond £1million, although those cases were not part of the trial. 

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard betting 'obsessed' Baker had the women take out loans of up to £200,000 and even selling their homes to bankroll what he falsely described as his betting 'business'.

He told them he could fund their future together if they handed over the cash and insisted there was 'zero risk' to their money. 

Despite victims being told the money was loans and not gifts, none of the sums were ever repaid, as Baker would threaten to end the relationships if they didn't fork out more money. 

Once their funds were exhausted, Baker returned to dating apps to find new targets.

A jury unanimously convicted him of 18 counts of fraud by false representation, spanning eight years between 2012 and 2020, following a month-long trial earlier this year.

Victims told the court he fabricated desperate stories to extract cash, claiming he could not feed his children, needed to fix his father’s boiler or pay vet bills for his dog. 

One woman said Baker warned her that a London gang would kill him unless she transferred £50,000. 

Another victim, an NHS nurse, gave him savings which were meant to pay for her child's wedding.

Reading a statement to the packed court, one of the women - a divorced police officer who handed Baker nearly £80,000 - held back tears as she described how she feels 'ashamed, disgusted and used'.

'[Nigel Baker] is a dangerous predator who has no morals or regard for anyone,' the mum of two said.

'The realisation has left me feeling violated in a way that is difficult to put into words. The knowledge that he touched me makes my skin crawl.

'What I thought was love and connection was manipulation and deceit for financial gain.'

Another victim, an accountant and grandmother, in her 60s, said 'conman' Baker had 'humiliated' her.

The mother-of-two had taken out a £200,000 bridging loan against the sale of her home in order to fund Baker's gambling.

'The emotional impact this had on us as a family was very intense,' the victim told the court. [Baker] does not deserve anything more than to be punished for the pain, suffering and extreme financial losses that he has caused to each family he destroyed through his lies [and] deception.

'He needs to pay for every life he ruined, for every penny he took by misrepresenting the true person he was and is. He is a predator, and predators need to be locked up and the key thrown away.'

Baker's trial heard that after convincing his victims to send them money, he would use it to lay and place bets online.

Records show that a Betfair account set up by one of his victims - a successful and wealthy businesswoman - had total losses of nearly £4million.

The same woman paid out a net total of £281,540 to Baker's accounts, the court heard.

Baker's lawyer, Alexander Williams, cited prison overcrowding, gambling addiction and PTSD stemming from the Marchioness disaster in 1989 in mitigation, as well as supportive statements from his children.

Judge Falk explained Baker was a gambling addict who was far less successful than he wished he was.

Summarising his stark offending, Judge Falk told Bake, pictured,  he had 'mercilessly and cynically exploited' the trust of his victims

'You are a complete charlatan with a gambling addiction,' he said. 'You took all of their money and frittered it away.

'You were fully aware that they would lose all their money and of the emotional and financial devastation you would cause - but you did not care.

'You are an entirely selfish individual that women need to be protected from.'

Summarising his stark offending, Judge Falk told Baker he had 'mercilessly and cynically exploited' the trust of his victims.

'These offences represent a sustained and calculated course of conduct over several years,' Judge Falk said.

'You [presented] yourself as a slightly vulnerable and hurting divorced ex-husband, a loving family man with children. You portrayed yourself as a successful businessman with healthy prospects, looking for a special woman to comfort you [and] become your partner.'

The judge added: 'You told the women everything they wanted or needed to hear, each woman perceiving you, gratefully, as their second chance at life-long happiness, when you were merely seeking to exploit them.

'Your purpose was pure financial gain. You didn't care a jot for any of them, and you mercilessly and cynically exploited [their] trust.

'When they had lost everything - or you thought they had lost everything - you would discard them and move on to your next victim.'

Adding: 'The fault that they lost their money is entirely at your door and your in-depth ability to manipulate human emotions and the nature of a loving partner.'