Lonely heart conman fleeced woman while on prison day release
A CONMAN who tricked women out of thousands of pounds fleeced one of his latest victim while he was on day release from jail, a court heard.
Serial fraudster Daniel Olley wooed Daniella Evans after being granted 12-hour freedom passes from his open prison.
After tricking her out of £12,200, he started seeing second victim Gill Osborne. The relationship fizzled out, but not before Olley had relieved her of £600.
The Casanova conman, 41, who was ending a prison sentence for similar offences, has now been jailed for another five years.
Later, Miss Evans attacked authorities for “handing him his victims on a plate”.
She said: “There is no way in the world somebody on day release from prison should be able to meet his victims and be able to do that and walk back into prison, get back on the prison bus and go back in. “How is that possible?” In 2013 Olley was jailed for three years and 10 months at Ipswich Crown Court for conning four women who met the smoothtalking crook on dating websites.
But Olley simply wanted to plunder their bank accounts and his victims felt “foolish, shattered and betrayed”, the court heard.
He was later transferred to Standford Hill open prison on the Isle of Sheppey and as part of his “rehabilitation” he was allowed unescorted day release and got a job as a driver for a charity.
Olley, a former mechanic, met Miss Evans in May 2015 when he made a delivery to her furniture renovation business, prosecutor Gareth Munday told Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London on Monday. “They started chatting and he befriended her,” he said.
“Her business would have profited from having a vehicle and a driver because she didn’t have a means of transporting the furniture being renovated.
“He offered his services to find a vehicle and drive it. He told her he was working as a mobile mechanic at the time so they could share a vehicle.
“At that time, unbeknownst to her, he was on day release from Standford Hill prison.”
Miss Evans gave Olley £3,500 for a van and insurance and he took a further £8,700 for deposits and rent after suggesting they set up home together.
Olley met Miss Osborne when the relationship with Miss Evans began to break down, Mr Munday said. Last August he drove off in her Ford Fiesta saying he would have it repaired, but sold it for £600 and pocketed the money.
Olley, of Ipswich, Suffolk, admitted defrauding Miss Evans and Miss Osborne. Judge Paul Southern told him: “The current offences are aggravated not just by that record of offending involving vulnerable women, but also by the fact that the current offending was on day release.”