by Julia Roberts

A serial fraudster who preyed on single mothers via online dating websites and then conned them out of thousands of pounds was jailed for four years.

One victim from Chatham even suffered the humiliating heartbreak of planning a wedding to Mark Hartridge, only for it to be cancelled TWICE.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that during their two-year relationship 43-year-old Hartridge used Katy Warnock's bank cards to withdraw more than £14,000 from cashpoints, ran up credit card debts of £17,000, stole property in excess of £24,000 and bounced 19 cheques in her name totalling £102,000.

He even had the audacity to use her bank accounts to pay for him to continue using the dating website service Girls Date for Free throughout their time together.

Passing sentence Judge Michael Lawson QC said Hartridge, of St Marks Avenue, Gravesend, had "ripped the heart out of her world".

The couple met through an online dating website in March 2006. They started a relationship a month later but within weeks Hartridge, said by his own counsel to be "living in a land of make believe", was taking money from Miss Warnock's bank accounts.

He then went on to dupe the midwife into believing they would move in together and marry.

But prosecutor Ian Hope said four property deals fell through and two weddings were organised, booked and then cancelled - one as late as the morning of her big day when Hartridge claimed the registrar had told him there was a "legal technicality".

The bounced cheques included payments made to solicitors, weddings venues and florists.

"Hartridge had been telling Miss Warnock that he would take care of the arrangements and had been using her chequebook to pay.

"It wasn't an intention on his part to gain £102,000 because the money wasn't there but it was effectively leading Miss Warnock up the garden path as to what was going to happen in their relationship, stalling the creditors and registering debts in her name."

Mr Hope added that "in fairness" to Miss Warnock she did not discover the extent of Hartridge's scam until after their relationship ended.

While together, she had cancelled bank cards but never received the replacements, and when she challenged Hartridge about the credit card debts he showed her documents which he claimed were money transfers he had made into her credit card accounts.

However, after they split she found carrier bags hidden in the eaves of her garage which contained bank letters Hartridge had intercepted.

These included the returned bounced cheques and receipts for her property he had sold at Cash Converters.

Hartridge had also been diverting calls made to her home landline to his mobile telephone.

The court was told that Miss Warnock had been left facing financial ruin. "She received an eviction notice and at least three county court judgements against her," explained Mr Hope.

He added that her credit rating is now non-existent and she cannot have a bank account with a chequebook.

"In short, it is a tragic tale of several years of being deceived."

Hartridge admitted six charges of fraud, three of theft and one of obtaining a money transfer by deception.

The offences related to three women and were committed between March 2006 and June last year.

Confiscation proceedings will be held at a later date.