Former air-hostess conned of Dh2 million by 'perfect man'

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Former air-hostess conned of Dh2 million by perfect man

London - The couple became engaged and were set to buy a £1.6 million family home.

By Web Report

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Published: Mon 16 Jul 2018, 12:01 PM

Last updated: Mon 16 Jul 2018, 2:33 PM

A former air hostess revealed how she was conned out of £400,000 (Dh2 million approx) by that 'perfect man' who wooed her with Rolex watch and Cartier ring.
Sacher Barker was 42 and recovering from an emotionally draining divorce when she met Richard Winter on a night out with mutual friends.
Barker was bowled over by Winter as he seemed to be kind, well educated, and liked the same things as her. Moreover, he also appeared to be wealthy as he took Barker on exotic trips, flying first-class to luxury holidays in Barbados, the Cayman Islands and the Maldives. They enjoyed regular shopping trips to Harrods to buy Rolex watches, designer handbags and expensive shoes, according to Daily Mail.
Preparing to take their relationship further, the couple became engaged, were set to exchange contracts on a £1.6 million family home in West Sussex, and Barker embarked on the first of five gruelling rounds of IVF in a bid to start a family. However, one day Winter went out for a coffee in 2015 and never returned, duping Barker of her money, home, jewellery, car and dignity.
Winter was later exposed as a fraudster who had conned Barker out of £400,000. Last week, a High Court judge awarded her a sum just over that amount in a civil fraud case she brought against Winter. However, Sacher, now 48, says the emotional scars will never heal.
Winter, the 44-year-old son of wealthy businessman and Tory party donor John Winter, fooled Barker saying he owned property, a gold bullion account, a £100,000 wine collection and a share of a boat in Monaco, and received £2 million a year in dividends. Above all the lies, he falsely claimed to have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Barker who now lives in a cramped one-bedroom flat in West London said, "It didn't cross my mind that he was constantly scheming against me. I'm not a stupid girl, but I feel absolutely stupid and utterly betrayed."
"Winter told her he was separated from the mother of his two children and mirrored everything Barker liked. "Most men hate beach holidays, but Winter loved lying in the sun reading a book. We had the same taste in food and music. He'd even like to watch romcoms. He lulled me into a false sense of security," Barker said.

In May 2012, Winter claimed his family's assets had been frozen and his own money was tied up because of his divorce proceedings. Barker who had £550,000 from her own divorce said, "We agreed I would loan Winter the money until his was all unfrozen. He'd been so good to me and I thought it was right to give and take. I gave him access to my accounts because effectively it was his money."
"Winter decided to buy a four-bedroom house for £1.6 million and a bungalow nearby for Barker's parents. "He took builders around and had grand plans for renovations," Barker said. In February 2015, on the day they were due to exchange, Barker recalled, "He left me hovering and nipped into town for a coffee. He never came back."

Later a friend called Barker to inform that Winter had written on Facebook that he had been in a relationship with another woman since the previous September.
"The shock was so huge. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. I could not accept that someone I loved, cared for and trusted could do that to me, or that I was a victim of fraud." Barker then sued him in the civil courts for fraud and won the case. While, Winter is now married and works as a dog-walker.
After a two-and-a-half-year legal battle costing her £100,000, Barker is now focusing on getting her life back on track, according to the report.


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