Boyfriend's 'web of lies' as he betrayed the woman he was meant to love

A man who stole more than £20,000 from the woman he was meant to love has been jailed. Thomas Mark Leatherbarrow, 29, of Sumner Road, Chester, has been jailed after admitting to defrauding his partner.

The 29-year-old appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, November 21 after he pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison and issued a 15-year Restraining Order.

Between July 2017 and May 2022, Leatherbarrow stole the money by taking out credit cards in his partner's name, deceitfully using her credit cards and debit card, and taking money out of her current account and ISA, the court heard.

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PC Aleksandra Tymoszczuk said: “To ensure that the victim did not go to police, he made up an email address and pretended to be Financial Ombudsman. He created a web of lies and went to the great length to cover it all. He stole from a woman he was meant to love, they even married during the period he was defrauding her.

“To facilitate the frauds, he used a range of controlling and coercive behaviour, subjecting his partner to years of suffering and misery. When I first met her, she did not even realise that she was a subject of prolonged Domestic Abuse.

“The victim showed great bravery. I know it was very difficult for her to come forward and report her partner of 10 years, who was meant to be protecting her and caring for her, for better, or for worse. I welcome the Court sentencing and hope it will be a deterrent to others.”

If you think you have been a victim of fraud you can contact Cheshire Police on 101 or report through their online portal. If you have concerns about a current or ex-partner, you can request information under Clare’s Law, a domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

You can also request information about the current or ex-partner of a friend or relative if you're worried they might be at risk. For more information, click here.