Love fraudster ordered to pay £32,000 back to victim

A fraudster who tricked a woman he met on a dating app into handing over her savings has been ordered to pay back £32,000 to the victim.

Kye Hughes, of Rochester, told her he was a musician and invested in luxury watches for extra money, and suggested she would double her money if she did the same.

Kent Police said the 35-year-old received thousands of pounds from her victim, who believed it was a legitimate scheme and asked for more money, promising a return on her investment which never materialized came.

The woman reported the fraud to police and Hughes was arrested in 2019.

According to Kent Police, he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison at Maidstone Crown Court in October 2023 for fraud by false representation and money laundering.

At a further hearing at the same court on September 27 this year, he was ordered to pay back £32,144 to the victim by December 24 or face a further 12 months in prison.

Kent Police Detective Inspector David Godfrey said: “Our work does not end with sentencing – we will always do everything we can to return as much money as possible to victims.”

“In this case, the woman was heartbroken and in great financial distress after being cheated out of her savings. I hope the compensation from the confiscation order will help her overcome this ordeal.”

Adrian Foster, chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Proceeds of Crime Unit, said: “Love fraud is a cruel deception that exploits the unique trust and vulnerability that exists in intimate relationships.”

“Kye Hughes manipulated the victim, stole from her, threatened her, and left her in debt and unimaginable stress.”

From 2019 to 2024, £450 million was recovered from convicted criminals through CPS confiscation orders, including £88 million returned to crime victims, a CPS spokesperson added.