A serial fraudster who used lies of eternal love to cheat two women out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has been jailed.

The 61-year-old who has used several names including Marc Raven, conned a North Yorkshire woman into marrying her and selling her home with claims they would soon be moving into a £1 million property.

But it never materialised and when his web of lies collapsed, she had to declare herself bankrupt and move in with family. She lost £200,000.

When North Yorkshire Police investigated that fraud they discovered Raven had already started a relationship with a woman in Singapore, and while he was defrauding the Harrogate woman, he was claiming to the Singaporean woman that he was ill in hospital in Dubai and needed money for medical treatment.

The Singapore woman lost £100,000, the police said.

Raven, also known as Marc Bookey, Marc Cohen and Marc Stewart, who claimed to be a successful businessman, had previously given a Newcastle address, and is now of no fixed address, was jailed at York Crown Court for eight years and one month.

He pleaded guilty to fraud against both women.

In a personal statement read at court, the daughter of the woman Raven married said: “The damage Marc has done to my family is immeasurable, and no punishment will ever repair the damage he’s done to my mum. I just hope that he’s unable to cause this much harm and pain to anyone again.”

After the hearing, DC Neil Brodhurst, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Raven was a serial fraudster, who lied again and again to obtain money from women he was in a relationship with. It’s no exaggeration to say his deception has shattered lives.

“While nothing can undo the damage he has caused, I hope that this result can at least bring about some closure for the victims. And it will ensure that no one else can ever be taken in by his lies, or forced to suffer what they have endured.

“Financial abuse is a form of domestic abuse. It can happen to anyone of any age. Sometimes it can take a long time for victims to realise what is happening. But if you feel uncomfortable about how someone you know is behaving with your money, they may be financially abusing you.

“It’s not easy to take the first step to break free of financial abuse, but you will not be alone – the police are here to support you. Call us on 101. We will talk to you in confidence about the help that’s available.”

North Yorkshire police said Raven began a relationship with the Singaporean woman in 2016 and in 2017 started his lies about being a hospital patient in Dubai when he was actually well and living in the UK. She transferred money to him between July 2017 and August 2018.

In January 2018 he met the Harrogate woman and in October 2018 married her.

He falsely claimed he had a lot of money in a Singaporean bank account that he was having difficulty accessing and encouraged her to sell her house to provide money for them to live on.

Between June 2018 and May 2019 she handed over more than £200,000 receiving in return lies that he would repay her. He continued his lies about the Singaporean bank account after he was arrested.