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A man from Cardiff who repeatedly deceived women by pretending to work for both the BBC and MI6 has been sentenced to over five years in prison for his crimes. Rodney Ade Roberts, 40, also known by the alias Paul Smith, conned three women out of almost £50,000 through his elaborate scams.
Roberts, who worked as a kitchen porter, targeted his victims on dating apps, fabricating impressive identities to gain their trust. One victim, Rachel Serjeant, 30, from Bristol, encountered Roberts in October 2022 and was defrauded of £980. She expressed how deeply the betrayal affected her, stating, “The betrayal of trust is far deeper than the loss of the money. Everything I believed to be real was not. He didn’t even tell me his real name.” Roberts used the money he acquired through these scams to support an extravagant lifestyle filled with designer clothes and drugs. He also went as far as threatening one woman to dissuade her from contacting the police.
The court learned that Roberts’ criminal behavior spans years, with six convictions for seven offenses related to fraud since 2015, including prior romance frauds. In sentencing, Judge Celia Hughes condemned his actions as a grave misuse of trust, describing him as “selfish and narcissistic” without regard for the emotional harm caused to the women. She praised the victims for their bravery and made clear that the fault lay entirely with Roberts.
One victim, a freelance artist, met Roberts in March 2024 on a dating platform and was deceived out of £8,660 over five months. Roberts had falsely claimed employment with the American ABC News and said he was on a secondment to BBC Cymru Wales in Cardiff. He even presented a counterfeit BBC lanyard and identification card and walked the woman to the BBC headquarters to make his deception seem credible. He solicited money from her under false pretenses, including a request for £4,000 as a deposit on a flat, and subsequently asked for more funds, promising repayment that never came. Eventually suspicious, the woman found news of Roberts’ previous convictions for romance fraud and reported him to authorities. Speaking at Newport Crown Court, she described how he “violated my finances, my body and my sense of self,” explaining that the experience left her feeling deep embarrassment and damaged trust.
Another woman, who lost over £40,000, initially believed Roberts to be an American lawyer involved in stadium construction in the UK. He later altered his story, claiming to work in intelligence services. During their two-year relationship, he convinced her to invest large sums from the sale of her home into fraudulent schemes. When the relationship ended in July 2023 and she requested her money back, Roberts promised repayment that never materialized.
Shortly before his trial began, Roberts admitted to three counts of fraud by false representation. He received a reduced sentence of 61 months in prison and was banned from contacting the victims. Upon release, he will be subject to a serious crime prevention order and is mandated to repay the defrauded amounts within two years.
Detective Constable Amanda Davies of the Tarian regional organised crime unit commended the victims’ determination to bring Roberts to justice. She emphasized the sophistication of romance fraudsters and urged people to trust their instincts if something seems too good to be true. She also encouraged those who suspect they have fallen victim to romance fraud to seek support and report their experiences
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