By Grâçia Ada Obi
A man has appeared in court accused of romance fraud against an alleged victim from Lancashire, the United Kingdom (UK).
Marc Cole-Jones is accused of 22 counts of fraud by false representation against a total of six women, amounting to £595,791.
The 52-year-old was charged with offences in August and appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday (September 24) for a brief pre-trial hearing.
Cole-Jones, who is also known as Marc Cole, Marcus Cole-Jones and Marc Sands, did not enter any pleas.
The six women allegedly defrauded between 2009 and 2024 are from Lancashire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Manchester and the West Midlands.
Judge Natalie Cuddy bailed the defendant, from Church Grove, Donnington, Telford, until February 5 next year, when he must appear back at the same court for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
A trial date is yet to be fixed.
Cole-Jones’s bail conditions are that he must provide Police details of his bank accounts and mobile phone use, report to Telford Police station each week and is not to contact any of the six complainants.
The charges follow an investigation by detectives from the Economic Crime Unit at Cheshire Police.
