Claire Hayhurst

Joseph Gibson, 35, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court to three years and two months in prison after pleading guilty to four fraud offences involving three women and a man. He falsely claimed to be a Special Boat Service veteran, a multimillionaire and a cancer sufferer, using Tinder relationships and fabricated investment opportunities to obtain £68,000. One victim was left with 93p, while others incurred significant debts and lost savings. The judge rejected Gibson's request to delay sentencing so he could repay the money and ordered proceeds-of-crime proceedings to begin. Avon and Somerset Police said the victims had suffered lasting financial and emotional harm.