A CONMAN'S double-life was laid bare when he appeared in court for a £65,000 fraud alongside one of his two girlfriends.

Daniel Brown took money from companies around the country with a promise he could put them at the top of internet searches.

But all he was doing, was simply refreshing the websites so they did appear on the first pages of Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Over three years, Brown ripped of small businesses by offering his services as a campaign manager for their online advertising.

He had carried out a similar role for Darlington-based Infoserve, but left the company after two years in 2009.

Teesside Crown Court heard that he continued to cold-call customers, telling them that he was still employed, and using false names.

One-time girlfriend Naomi Bayles joined Brown in the dock for using a bank account she had access to to launder some of the money.

Bayles, 34, of Lowther Drive, Darlington, admitted knowing or suspecting £28,460 was the proceeds of criminal activity.

She was given a seven-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, by the Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC.

Brown, 32, of Woodlands Road, Darlington, admitted 18 charges of making false representation to make gain.

The judge deferred sentence for six months to allow him to save up to pay back some of the victims. His barrister, Dan Cordey told the court that Brown was now working again and earning as much as £6,000 a month.

Mr Cordey said he has £11,000 in an account he can place with his solicitors immediately, and hopes to have £30,000 by February.

"I was conscious not to offer funds he could not pay," said the lawyer. "The court may then be satisfied he is legitimate in his ability to pay proper compensation and in his willingness to do so.

"It would mean the victims in this case would be paid back. If he was given an immediate custodial sentence today, it would severely impair his ability to pay proper and meaningful compensation.

"It is not simply the case he could but himself out of trouble as it were."

Sam Faulks, prosecuting, said Brown had two girlfriend at the time of his offending, and the other one was investigated, but not charged.

Mr Faulks said his use of "cover names" showed Brown's activities were "rotten and fraudulent" and some victims took much longer than others to realise they were being duped.

Philip Morley, for Bayles, said: "It took her some time to come to terms with what happened in this case, and what happened to her."

Judge Bourne-Arton told her: "You were led into this, but eventually you did so knowing full well what was taking place.

"You did not initiate this fraud, and just went along with your then-boyfriend."

The judge told Brown: "You took part in a well-planned fraud. I do not accept the basis of plea in its entirety. You told the Probation Service it was naivety which got you into this problem, and there was no planning.

"In my judgement, there was a degree of planning, that was using other people's names, who worked for your previous company to get those customers on board with you and, a serious aspect is your involvement on another.

"It may well be possible in the fullness of time to consider suspending the sentence.

"If you do not do as you are promising, it will be a significant sentence of imprisonment."