Fantasist pilot was ‘like a film con man’

A CON MAN who pretended to be a wealthy pilot to impress women has been likened to a Dorset version of the film Catch Me If You Can.

James Maycock told a girlfriend he was an airline pilot when in reality he had only taken a handful of lessons at Bournemouth Flying Club, which he failed to pay for.

A court heard Maycock, from Poole, had booked a £9,000 helicopter ride to London to impress another girlfriend, which he also allegedly never paid for.

The 31-year-old spent five years lying to girlfriends, including claiming he had inherited £1 million from his father, and conning multiple businesses.

He even claimed to be Lord James Maycock in an attempt to extend his credit limit so he could buy a

£1,100 drone.

Prosecuting, Mary Aspinall-miles said Maycock was a fantasist who tried to “fund his lifestyle through deception and fraud”.

Maycock was initially charged with 19 fraud and dishonesty-related offences but pleaded guilty to five, amounting to £6,800.

Miss Aspinall-miles said Maycock “was trying to live a lifestyle effectively funded by deception and fraud and, in particular, a bit like a film character – Catch Me If You Can. This is the Dorset edition.”

In sentencing Maycock to a six-month suspended prison sentence, Recorder Nicholas Haggan said it was “hard to believe a word he says”.