Conman posed as QC to lure women; Fantasist boasted of lavish lifestyle.

Byline: Alastair Craig

ASERIAL fantasist who once posed as a doctor at a North East hospital was behind bars last night after pretending to be the country's top lawyer to attract vulnerable women.

Paul Bint staged the fraud in an effort to wine and dine vulnerable women he met through lonely hearts advertisements.

London's Southwark Crown Court heard yesterday how the 47-year-old boasted of owning a fleet of luxury cars, said he had socialised with former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan and was friends with singer Robbie Williams.

In his latest deceit, Bint sported all the trappings of a successful barrister enjoying high-powered connections.

He would boast to some of his dates that he was Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC, while another knew him as Jonathan Reese QC.

Bint, originally from Hereford, was jailed for two years at Newcastle Crown Court in July 2000 after he admitted obtaining property by deception, theft and absconding without paying a taxi driver. Wearing a stethoscope around his neck, Bint told the driver that he was part of an emergency team on his way to the city's Freeman Hospital and told him the hospital would pick up the bill.

Southwark Crown Court heard how he promised one woman a holiday for two on a sun-drenched Caribbean island.

But when he thought her affections might lie elsewhere, he became menacing.

He scrawled abuse on the side of her home, blamed his potential rival, claimed the man had repeatedly assaulted an ex-girlfriend, and convinced her to dump him.

Riel Karmy-Jones, prosecuting, said by the time they realised who he was, he had misused a credit card belonging to one of them and stolen a valuable bracelet from another. Bint, who owned up in court to a 30-year criminal career, CONMAN insisted that on this occasion he had done nothing wrong.

He said while he had been interested in seeing if his latest friendships could develop into something long-term, they had repaid his affections with lies.

The jury disagreed and convicted him of five counts of fraud and theft committed between April 27 and May 5 this year.

Two were for fraud by false representation, in cheating a taxi driver of a pounds 60 fare and using a credit card belonging to one of his women victims.

Another was for stealing a bracelet, burgling the robing room at St Alban's Crown Court and stealing a barrister's laptop, and test driving a pounds 59,000 Audi R8 while disqualified.

He was cleared of seven other credit card frauds, and four of driving while disqualified.

Bint, of no fixed address, showed no reaction as the verdicts Bint. were delivered and Judge Deborah Taylor remanded him in custody until November 3 for sentencing.

CAPTION(S):

CONMAN Paul Bint.