Millionairess ‘conned out of £140k by Tinder date’
A FRAUDSTER posing as a successful businessman conned a millionairess he met on Tinder into handing him more than £140,000, a court heard.
Richard Dexter, 37, convinced Amrita Sebastian that he was on the verge of a ‘big windfall’ because he had acquired the patents to valuable pharmaceutical technology.
He told her that international drug companies were interested in signing a multimillion-pound deal with him.
On the back of his lies, Miss Sebastian, a businesswoman based in Dubai who often travels to the UK, handed over payments totalling £141,000 believing they were investments.
However, Dexter pocketed the cash for himself and when he failed to repay it she called the police.
When officers raided Dexter’s Hampshire home they found a document which claimed he had more than £4million invested with the financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown. In fact the account belonged to a friend and held just 37p.
Dexter is also accused of forging patent documents to try to ‘wheedle out’ of his alleged fraud.
Robert Bryan, prosecuting, told the jury that Miss Sebastian met Mr Dexter on the dating app Tinder in 2015. He claimed he was a ‘successful businessman’ selling biopharma software.
He persuaded Miss Sebastian that he needed capital to start production of a piece of scientific equipment.
Mr Bryan said: ‘At the centre of his fraud were patents and a patent catalogue he claimed to be buying. Thereafter, having said he had acquired these patents, he said that well-known companies were interested in the patents and would license deals which would bring in significant sums.
‘What was required was upfront capital to begin production of a bioreactor paddle. She invested.
‘Towards the end of 2016, he promised her that he would repay her full investment in January 2017 at the latest.’
But Miss Sebastian received nothing and Dexter told her that the bank had closed his account and had taken control of his home. She then called the police.
In December 2018, his former partner, Maisie Evans, gave the police USB sticks which contained ‘licensing agreements’ purporting to relate to a patent, but the court was told that they appeared to have been created after his arrest.
But Dexter claims that Miss Evans created the documents to ‘frame’ him.
Dexter, of Southsea, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to seven charges of fraud and not guilty to one charge of possessing an article used in fraud and to one of perverting the course of justice.
The trial continues.
‘Promised to repay in full’