Fantasist claimed he had terminal cancer to fleece boyfriend out of £25,000 Spanish villa cash

Neil Collier-Sharp, 55, claimed he had terminal cancer and would leave the victim a share of £50million, a Range Rover and property on a country estate to persuade the man into handing over thousands in cash, Teesside Crown Court heard.

In the ‘elaborate rouse’ he defrauded his boyfriend out of £25,173 between May 2015 and June 2016, which the victim believed was to buy a villa in Murcia in Spain.

The judge in the case said former Hartlepool man Collier-Sharp and the truth were “barely nodding acquaintances”.

Sam Faulks, prosecuting, said: “It was quite an elaborate rouse. On being asked why the defendant was prepared to help [the victim] the defendant told him he had terminal cancer.

“He said he only had 18 months to live, had accumulated wealth of some £53 million and this would be left to the boyfriend.”

Mr Faulks added: “The victim was promised he would receive in due course from the defendant four houses, a bungalow, Range Rover and a property in Normanby Hall Park.”

Regarding the villa in Spain, Mr Faulks said: “There were repeated promises of getting flights to Spain, but at the last minute these plans were always cancelled.”

In December 2017, Collier-Sharp was exposed for defrauding a priest of more than £17,000 and was given a three-year jail sentence.

He pleaded guilty to the new fraud.

The prosecution asked Collier-Sharp pay back a nominal £1.

Paul Cross, defending, said at the time of the offence Collier-Sharp was effectively an alcoholic having suffered the tragic loss of his wife and child in an accident.

He added Collier-Sharp, of Eden Rise, Rushyford, County Durham, believed he was going to inherit a large sum of money.

Mr Cross added: “He’s training to be a facilitator to help other people.”

Judge James Brown said Collier-Sharp had ‘spun a yarn’ to manipulate the victim adding: “It seems to me you are a man who has an inexhaustible supply of untruths for virtually every occasion.”

Collier-Sharp was given two years prison suspended for two years with 20 rehabilitation activity days.