Fraudster tried to scam ex-fiancé out of £60,000 after he called off the wedding

Rosemary Lai ‘faked legal letters’ from bailiffs (Picture: Cavendish Press)

A jilted bride-to-be who tried to swindle £63,000 out of her ex-fiancée after he broke off their engagement has been jailed.

Rosemary Lai, 31, from Longsight, Manchester, faked seven legal letters pretending to be from bailiffs and falsely demanded payment from her ex-partner, Ashley Booth after he dumped her when she insisted on an expensive wedding.

The bogus documents were sent over three years and related to the couple’s abandoned wedding plans – which Lai – a children’s hospital dietician – claimed to have paid for – and even included forged copies of County Court papers.

The couple met on an online dating site in 2017 when prosecutor Mark Pritchard said Lai became aware of a ‘sum of money and property’ Mr Booth had inherited.

Mr Pritchard added: ‘In 2018, the complainant proposed to the defendant but he says was very money focused and materialistic.

‘She started looking at expensive wedding venues but the complainant told her they were beyond his means, and they needed to look for cheaper venues.’

But although no deposits were ever paid for the ceremony, Mr Booth feared the paperwork sent to him was legitimate.

‘No deposits were ever paid to the venues as the complainant never had any intention of paying the large sums asked.

‘Eventually, the issues involving the wedding came to a head and the complainant broke off the engagement,’ Mr Pritchard explained.

In 2019, Mr Booth was sectioned after becoming a victim of a scam where he paid out £3,000 – while he was in hospital.

Lai contacted his father and said she could not reach him because her ‘phone was broken’.

Mr Booth’s father bought Lai a new phone, but she never contacted Mr Booth, Mr Pritchard said, adding: ‘This demonstrates that at the time before the offending began she knew how vulnerable the complainant was.

‘In late 2019 the complainant started receiving fraudulent letters purporting to be from bailiffs sent by the defendant. The amount of money requested across the letters was £63,488.07.

‘Many contained handwritten notes. When investigated at the courts, there was no link to that case reference number to any legitimate claim.’

Lai, who used to be a part-time fashion model, was arrested after the paperwork was found to include letters with her name, handwriting, and bank details on them.

When confronted, Lai reportedly showed ‘no empathy’ over her greed and accused Mr Booth of lying.

In a police statement, Mr Booth said: ‘Rosemary has made me feel depressed, down and worthless as she always used to say she would replace me with a better bloke.

‘My mental health has deteriorated since we broke up and she was sending me these court letters.

‘I paid for everything in the relationship, all the meals and trips out for her because I did love her and I wanted her to have a better life but she has taken advantage of me.’

Despite the couple having broken up three years ago, the letters were sent and have continued to affect both Mr Booth and his parents’ mental health.

He added: ‘My mum has cried so much over these letters. This is also having a massive impact on me and my mental health. I suffer from schizophrenia, and I have autism and these allegations are making them both so much worse.’

At Manchester Crown Court, Lai was jailed for 27 months after she admitted one offence of fraud by false representation and three offences of making or supplying articles in use of fraud.

She has also been banned from contacting Mr Booth for five years under the terms of a restraining order.

In mitigation, Lai’s counsel Megan Cox said: ‘She is remorseful and regrets her actions and she is sorry for the harm that has been caused. She wishes she could go back and undo what she has done.

‘This is a woman who is willing to make the changes and realises the harm that her actions have caused.’

Judge Peter Horgan said during the ruling: ‘It is clear that when this fraud began you knew exactly how vulnerable the complainant was. He received fraudulent letters from you purporting to be from the bailiffs.

‘The stress and the upset you caused him and also his parents shines through the victim statement… You describe the personal statement as mainly lies, and are described as having empathy but only for yourself.’