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A fraudster who lied about the death of his father to con friends and his ex-partner out of money has been jailed for two years and four months.

Scott Newland, 25, of Y Cilgant, Penyrheol, scammed £30,000 out of his victims between April and October 2020, which he put towards clearing a gambling debt of nearly £40,000.

During this time, Newland tricked his then-partner out of £6,800, and scammed people through Facebook Marketplace.

He tricked his ex-partner, who works with the police, into believing he worked for the Home Office and conned money out of her on the pretence they were moving into a house together in Blackwood.

In her victim statement, Newland’s ex-partner, who had herself lost her father before the scam, described the 25-year-old’s actions as “totally sickening”.

He also scammed more than £5,000 by claiming to sell Apple Mac computers on Facebook – using his then-partner’s police ID card to make himself seem legit.

Newland pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud by false representation and one count of using a police identification card to commit fraud.

He was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, March 25.

The court heard how Newland was now dealing with his gambling addiction through Gamblers Anonymous.