A COWARDLY conman left his bride-to-be with thousands of pounds of debt after he dumped her by text.

Rachel Taylor was waiting for fiance William Pratt to meet her in Sunderland city centre so a £10,000 loan she had taken out for their future could be transfered into both their names.

But Newcastle Crown Court heard that while she was waiting, she received a text saying: "I've got all I want from you".

When she checked with her bank, she discovered all of her money, except £5,500 she had used to pay off a previous debt, had gone.

Pratt, of Ryton Crescent, Seaham, accepted stealing about £3,500 from Ms Taylor and pleaded guilty to theft.

Investigations revealed the 22-year-old call centre worker had also lied to his employers by saying he had a son in Ireland who had died, and had produced a photograph of Ms Taylor's godson to back up his lies.

He told the same story to police officers who questioned and arrested him after Ms Taylor reported the thefts.

As a result of the theft, Ms Taylor can no longer afford to pursue her career as a social worker and is working as a nursery supervisor to pay back the loan.

Robert Woodcock, prosecuting, told the court: "Although a small fraud by the scale of some, it has had a catastrophic effect as far as Rachel Taylor is concerned."

Alec Burns, in mitigation, said: "He did not encourage Miss Taylor to take out the loan with the idea of stealing from her.

"Unbeknown to her, he was drinking excessively and had a problem with gambling.

"He seems to lead some sort of fantasy life. This is clearly illustrated by the photo of the child."

Judge John Milford sentenced Pratt to 14 months in jail.