The boyfriend of Love Island star Dani Dyer has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for defrauding two pensioners out of more than £34,000 (€40,000).
Sammy Kimmence, of Rayleigh, Essex, took the money from two elderly men between 2016 and 2018 by claiming he would invest the money for them by placing horse-racing bets on their behalf but instead he spent the money on his own debts and lifestyle.
The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud against Peter Martin, of Havant, Hampshire, who died last year at the age of 91, totalling nearly £26,000 (€31,000), as well as a fifth charge against 81-year-old Peter Haynes, from Okehampton, Devon, of £7,927 (€9,300).
Sentencing Kimmence at Portsmouth Crown Court, Judge Timothy Mousley QC said the fraud had been an “abuse of trust”, particularly against Mr Martin who considered the defendant to be his friend.
He added: “You didn’t show any remorse immediately and I do not consider any remorse to be profound.”
Michael Mason, prosecuting, said Kimmence came into contact with his two victims while working in sales and administration – although with the title of senior trader – for a company called Equine Global Sports Limited, which would place bets on behalf of customers.
After the company ceased trading, Kimmence pretended to work for another company called S&S Trading Ltd and offered to continue making bets on behalf of his two victims.
But instead he spent the money on paying off his overdraft, a hotel stay in Ibiza, restaurant bills and buying clothes, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Mr Mason said: “This is a very unpleasant fraud against two men who Mr Kimmence deliberately targeted.
“He targeted them because they were old, vulnerable and somewhat isolated. This wasn’t something he migrated to, this was something he planned.”
In a statement read to court, Mr Haynes, an aircraft engineer and RAF veteran, said: “All the savings I have accrued over my working life have been wiped out, my bank account shows zero, I am sick with worry.”
Mr Mason said Kimmence had visited both of his victims and had persuaded Mr Martin to hand over his internet banking password and bank cards.
He said of Mr Martin: “He ceded financial control to Mr Kimmence, it’s akin to the fox getting the keys to the chicken pen.”
A statement made by Mr Martin said: “I have been left at times very stressed over money, having given thousands to Sammy who I thought was investing it for me.”
Craig Harris, defending Kimmence, said: “He was living above his means, he found himself surrounded by what he perceived to be the glitz and glamour of the City and financial services workers and they would take him out to Club 195, nightclubs, and well-regarded bar establishments.
“And when the time came for him to show willingness to engage in this type of frivolity, he did.”
The court also heard that Kimmence would indulge in alcohol and cocaine.
Mr Harris said the defendant had saved up £10,000 (€11,700) to repay his victims and had been intending to train to become a quantity surveyor, having lost a job as a City trader because of the legal proceedings against him.
Simon Clark, CPS Wessex senior crown prosecutor, said: “Kimmence acted despicably when he duped his former clients into believing that he had set up a new company with which they could safely invest their money.”
Kimmence became a father with Ms Dyer following the birth of their son, Santiago, on January 23rd this year.
