A confidence trickster has been jailed for two years and eight months after conning three women and a man during a visit to the island.

Steven Truswell blagged cash, free accommodation, a computer, a mobile phone and a BMW during a spree here.

On Tuesday, at the Court of General Gaol Delivery, Deemster Simon Farrell told the 47-year-old: ’Throughout your time here you used the false name of Oliver Hunter to dishonestly trick people.

’You have a bad criminal record, five previous sentences for 34 separate fraud offences.’

Prosecuting advocate Rachael Braidwood said that Truswell had gone to significant lengths to convince people he was setting up a legitimate business here, holding meetings with various people.

In last week’s Manx Independent we reported that internet Romeo Truswell had ripped off the four people to the tune of £38,000.

In the High Bailiff’s court, he pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation and was committed to the higher court for sentencing.

His spree here began when he emailed a woman in the island who was advertising an apartment for rent. Truswell arranged to rent the apartment using the name ’Oliver Jamie Hunter’ from December 1 for three months at £85 per night.

He arrived at the flat on December 5 and stayed there until January 9 when he left the island suddenly. The total cost of the stay was £1,900 but nothing was ever paid.

During his stay, Truswell told the woman he was setting up a business and was also introduced to the owner of a local car sales company.

He told the man he wanted to buy a Porsche for £29,000 and a VW Amarok worth £35,000 which the man then sourced.

In the meantime Truswell was loaned a £30,000 BMW M4 on the condition he returned it.

However, on January 9 Truswell took the BMW off the island and cut off all contact with the car company owner.

On January 22 the conman was stopped by police while driving it in Staffordshire and arrested.

As part of his story that he was setting up a business here, Truswell also convinced one woman to buy a Macbook Pro 13.3 for £1,728.

He told her he wanted her to be his operations manager and she needed the computer for this.

Truswell then took the Macbook saying he needed to have some software installed but never returned it.

On December 29 Truswell also began talking to another woman here via the dating website Tinder, again calling himself ’Oliver Hunter’.

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They met and over the next 11 days Truswell managed to borrow £3,620 from her saying he would return it. He also asked her to buy an Apple iPhone 11 ProMax mobile phone for him for £1,299 which he said he would pay back but never did.

Defence advocate David Clegg said that there was little mitigation that could be put forward other than his client’s guilty pleas.

Mr Clegg said that there had been a lack of sophistication in the offending, highlighted by the fact that the BMW Truswell was driving when he was arrested still had its Manx plates on.

The conman has a long history of similar offences in the UK.

In 2007, Truswell, who is originally from Belper in Derbyshire, was jailed for four years after he fleeced more than £700,000 from rich clients by setting up a fake business dealing in Manchester United season tickets and corporate boxes at Old Trafford.

However, in October 2007 Truswell escaped from Kirkham prison and then stole £40,000 from women he befriended under an alias on dating site Match.com.

After being rearrested he was jailed for another 28 months to run consecutively to his four-year term.

But in 2015, Truswell was at it again when he was jailed for three and a half years after swindling three people out of £25,000 with bogus business deals.

Truswell is also wanted with two warrants issued by Cumbria Crown Court and one issued by Merseyside Crown Court in relation to more fraud allegations.

On Tuesday, the court heard that the BMW had been recovered, along with the phone.

Orders regarding any compensation awarded will be made on a future date.

On Tuesday, at the Court of General Gaol Delivery, Deemster Simon Farrell told the 47-year-old: ’Throughout your time here you used the false name of Oliver Hunter to dishonestly trick people.