A 57-year-old man from the Isle of Wight has been jailed for 2 years after admitting to orchestrating a romance fraud that left his victim more than £11,000 out of pocket.
Andrew Cosham, previously from Newport, appeared before Hove Crown Court on Monday (16th February), where he was sentenced to 2 years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation.
The court heard that Cosham first met his victim on a dating site in Summer 2019. The pair spoke frequently online and arranged to meet, but on the day of the planned date, the victim discovered she had been blocked.
Around a year later, in Summer 2020, Cosham made contact again, offering excuses for his absence and persuading her to resume the relationship. They eventually met in Spring 2021 and he began staying with her most weekends before spending extended periods at her home during the week.
Believing they were in a long-term relationship, the victim gave Cosham a set of keys and introduced him to her family. In September 2021, he asked her for £200. Just 2 weeks later, he stopped all contact and never repaid the money.
Several months later, in June 2022, Cosham reappeared once more. He claimed he had been distressed due to ongoing divorce appeal proceedings and convinced her to rekindle the relationship.
Over the following months, he predominantly lived with the victim and made repeated promises that they would marry and buy a house together once his bank account, which he claimed contained £3million, was unfrozen following the conclusion of his divorce appeal. The pair attended several house viewings and the victim even paid for a property survey, but Cosham always claimed issues had arisen and they would look elsewhere.
The court was told that Cosham fabricated a series of financial problems. He claimed he needed money to help his sister, who was said to be in poor health, and used his elderly sister’s bank account to receive funds from the victim before withdrawing large sums. His sister was not involved in the offending.
He also claimed he needed money to repay council tax, settle debts with a storage company and phone provider, and to pay fines and costs following an altercation in Brighton. The victim received messages from a person purporting to be Cosham’s solicitor, stating further fees were required to release him from court and assuring her his bank account would soon be unfrozen.
In total, Cosham persuaded the victim to hand over more than £11,000, promising each time to repay her once his funds were accessible. He later ceased contact and did not repay any of the money.
Sussex Police began investigating after the fraud was reported on 13th September 2022. Officers described the case as complex due to the number of lies told. Cosham was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation on 16th November 2023 and later charged on 29th September 2025 – almost 2 years later.
He pleaded guilty before being sentenced this week.
In addition to the 2-year custodial sentence, Cosham was ordered to pay a £187 surcharge. A restraining order was imposed, preventing him from contacting the victim directly or indirectly and from attending her home address.
Detective Sergeant Rodney Davis, of Sussex Police, has said:
“Romance fraud is a particularly cruel offence.
“The financial loss can have lasting consequences, but the emotional impact from the extensive manipulation by fraudsters can be truly devastating.
“We will work tirelessly to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice, and I am pleased to see this offender held accountable for his actions.
“I’d like to stress that romance fraud is never the victim’s fault and encourage anyone who has been the victim of romance fraud to report it to us.”
Ill remember your face mate.
Out in a year with good behaviour?
And a third off on tag ?
Don’t return to this island.
Women dont need the likes of you here.
I feel so sorry for this women you have done this to im so angry I dont even know you or her how could you ?
Honestly I hope we get the chance to meet.
But the doctor would advise against it.
Please don’t return
But note too the woman was desperate enough to fork out the money without thinking. In this day and age people should be aware of scammers. Loosing a few hundred is one thing but 11k? Hmm
There are too many gullible people in this world,
such a shame.
Gullible, more like idiotic. No excuses. Looking at this “Maggot” when it was born they should have slapped the mother instead of it. No matter how many times that you warn people they will still go ahead and do it. More fool them.
Gullible ? Or have faith in human behaviour ? It’s not this women’s fault a man could do this to her.
She on many occasions probably did question herself but maybe she wanted to see and believe a human couldn’t be so low ?
This isnt just stealing ! It’s emotional extortion …it’s heartbreaking and you sir are a victim blamer you’re probably not cut from much different cloth.
Come off it. Has she a brain or not???
Some people are so gullible, so sad
Gullible ? Or have faith in human behaviour ? It’s not this womens fault a man could do this to her.
She on many occasions did question herself but maybe she wanted to see and believe a human couldn’t be so low ?
This isnt just stealing ! It’s emotional extortion …it’s heartbreaking and you sir are a victim blamer you’re probably not cut from much different cloth……
How come he got jail time but but others get fuck all manslaughter sometimes don’t even go to jail killing by cars same?
The country is hot on fraud, other crimes don’t seem to
matter!
Don’t pay your council tax and you will find out!
Law in Britain is strange thesedays, Robert Peel
wouldn’t believe it.
I don’t agree with the gullible take. No one should take advantage of anther person. To start blaming a ‘gullible person’ is shifting the blame from an evil being to a trusting person. It’s not on. A good honest person doesn’t take advantage.
Amen to this comment “a good honest person doesn’t take advantage” let alone of someone else if they do then that person isn’t an honest person.
Sadly the visually impaired fall for this a lot
He looks irresistible. No wonder he managed to con these women out of their cash with his good looks
Those “good looks” won’t be around forever when a baseball bat comes in to contact with that face
Good looks who you kidding
I hope he finds someone to ‘love’ him inside prison!
So, he stole £11K and has to repay £187?
Still nicely off then! Karma is coming for you my friend, and hopefully your sister and family will disown you too. Why can’t the court seize the money he stole, like they do for other victims of crime? Or will that affect his human rights? At least we know what he looks like
So you say that you know what he looks like, so what are YOU going to do then????
He was disowned 20+ years ago by most but the lies stretched to those closest to him who were either equally gullible or didn’t want to see the wrong he was doing,I spent my first 20 years growing up next door to him as his nephew and sadly I’m relieved my mother and grandmother haven’t had to see the piece of shit he truly is
He was disowned 20+ years ago by most but the lies stretched to those closest to him who were either equally gullible or didn’t want to see the wrong he was doing,I spent my first 20 years growing up next door to him as his nephew and sadly I’m relieved my mother and grandmother haven’t had to see the piece of s**t he truly is