IAN BEALE LOOKALIKE CONMAN IS AN ‘EVIL CASANOVA’
‘Devil incarnate’ wanted for romance scams
A DAUGHTER has issued a plea to catch an “evil” Casanova conman who she blames for putting her heartbroken mum in a care home.
Hazel Wilkins was allegedly duped out of her life savings by John Eric Wells, a dead ringer for EastEnders’ Ian Beale.
Her daughter, Lynsey Coleman, is convinced Wells is responsible for her mum’s devastating decline.
She said: “The stress he put her through gave her PTSD.
“He destroyed her and he is the reason she is in a home now.”
Wells, who is originally from the Doncaster area, is now being hunted by South Yorkshire Police over a series of romance scams.
The dad of two, in his mid-60s, allegedly conned three heartbroken grans out of £400,000 and is believed to have fled to South East Asia. Hazel, 74, is now in a care home, having been forced to sell her home after Wells allegedly fleeced her of her life savings.
“That man has ruined my life,” she said. “I had a lovely family home, a great job and I was happy.
“Now I have nothing and I will never be happy again. It’s too late to get back what he has taken from me. I hate him so much. He is the devil incarnate.”
Daughter Lynsey, 41, from Crawley in West Sussex, said: “My mum is in a home now with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia and we know that it was made worse by him.
“The police should be going to get him. It won’t get my mum back but I could have had my mum longer. He ruined her life. I am desperate for justice for her.”
Lynsey told how Wells posed as a millionaire hotelier when he met her mum online. He proposed a year later at a family dinner. She said: “He stood up and gave her a ring and said ‘will you marry me?’ He didn’t even go down on one knee. “But she was smitten. I was happy she’d found someone but I started thinking something wasn’t right. “When I started voicing concerns about John, mum just thought I was being jealous. I said ‘Mum, don’t do it’, but they booked the wedding and everything . “When it got near to the time, he cancelled it. Mum only found out when she called the hotel. She had the dress and everything. She was hysterical.”
Hazel’s sister, Wendy Whyte, said: “He ruined everything. Her life totally changed after him.
“She had no confidence left. She was not the same person ever again.”
South Yorkshire Police said: “We would like to hear from anyone who has seen or spoken to Wells recently.”
Wells bears a resemblance to market trader Ian, played by Adam Woodyatt, 55, since the BBC soap started in 1985.
In 2001 Wells was jailed for three years for a scam in which he faked an £8.9million Lotto win.
His exploits inspired the 2004 movie Can’t Buy Me Love – starring two actual EastEnders actors, Martin Kemp and Michelle Collins.