A romance fraudster who conned his victim into borrowing money and handing over her savings has been ordered to pay back over £32,000 of the stolen money.
Kye Hughes, 35, met his victim on a dating app and flashed a seemingly lavish lifestyle which he claimed came from a background as an actor, singer and investing in luxury watches.
After being sentenced to a 40-month jail term at Maidstone Crown Court in October 2023, the CPS Proceeds of Crime Division began proceedings to deprive Hughes of his ill-gotten gains.
Hughes convinced his victim into giving him her savings, as well as taking out high-interest loans and borrowing from her parents, to invest in a high-return scheme. He kept taking more and more from the victim, telling her that she was being threatened by a fictional third party who would turn up at her house if she did not keep handing over money. Even after the relationship ended, Hughes continued to request money in this way for almost a year.
Having heard about his total criminal benefit, the Judge determined that he only had £32,144 left available assets to pay a confiscation order or face the possibility of spending 12 months’ extra in prison for non-payment.
The judge also made a compensation order for that amount to be paid to the victim. Should he be found to have any additional assets in the future, the CPS will be able to take him back to court until the total criminal benefit has been paid back to the victim.
Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS Proceeds of Crime Division, said, “Romance fraud is a cruel deception that preys on the unique trust and vulnerability that exists in intimate relationships.
“Kye Hughes manipulated the victim, stealing from her, threatening her and leaving her with debt and unimaginable stress. The CPS will always use the powers available to ensure crime does not pay, depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains and ensuring where we can that monies are repaid to the victim.”
In the last five years, 2019 to 2024, £450 million has been recovered from CPS-obtained confiscation orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £88 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime by way of compensation.
