`Rothschild conman `fleeced vulnerable divorcee into giving him £300,000

By By Richard Savill Published: 8:00AM GMT twenty-seven February 2010

Alexander Marc De Rothschild Hatton targeted Christine Handy to "bleed from her what income she had", after assembly her in a coffee shop, Bristol Crown Court was told. He afterwards "preyed on her for 3 years", the charge said.

He afterwards "frittered" afar the income on "self-indulgent" purchases together with a automobile BMW for �66,000, and equipment from engineer stores, it was alleged.

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The jury listened Mr De Rothschild Hatton, 49, of Cirencester, Glos, told Mrs Handy, a mother-of-three, that he had been prepared at Eton, Oxford and Harvard universities, and he had worked at the monetary government organisation Merrill Lynch.

Michael Mather-Lees, prosecuting, pronounced Mr De Rothschild Hatton, who went on to have a kid with Miss Handy, told "preposterous" lies in a bid to take estimable sums of income from her.

He said: "He told her that he was, as his name implies, a part of of the De Rothschild family, that he had huge experience of the universe of high finance, and that he had immeasurable amounts of income scored equally up elsewhere.

"He told her he was in the routine of conducting his tutorial enterprise, that he was offering a pursuit by an disdainful bank and was able of investing income for her - and it was all lies."

The justice listened Mr De Rothschild Hatton initial approached Mrs Handy in Jun 2003 in a coffee emporium in Cheltenham, Glos, where he told her he had been "observing her for a little time".

Over the march of multiform meetings he questioned her about her new divorce and schooled that she had won a estimable settlement, the prosecutor said.

He said: "By perseverance, he managed to solve a attribute with this lady and he was to drain from her what income she had."

The justice listened Mr De Rothschild Hatton shaped a attribute with his purported plant even though he was vital with an additional lady that Mrs Handy did not know about.

He told Mrs Handy he was enrolled on a march at the London Business School and swayed her to lend him �140,000 over a dual year duration to cover his fee fees, it was claimed.

The justice additionally listened how, in Jul 2005, he assured her to give him �50,000 to solve an income taxation demand.

Mr Mather-Lees showed the jury bank statements detailing how Mr De Rothschild Hatton outlayed the income at engineer stores together with Burberry, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren and Alfred Dunhill.

In Sep 2005 Mrs Handy gave him �105,000 to ""invest on her behalf"", it was stated.

He claimed multiform not as big payments from her to repair a Jaeger-LeCoultre time she had inherited.

Mrs Handy re-mortgaged her residence to supply him with the funds, the justice was told.

Mr Mather-Less said: "He acted but any scruples as a conman."

When confronted by his live-in partner about the attribute with Mrs Handy, Mr De Rothschild Hatton told her he ""met her in a coffee emporium in Cheltenham that was a great place to find abounding divorced women"".

Mr Mather-Lees told the justice Mr De Rothschild Hatton explained: ""She was similar to a champion and that he increased her ego by creation her think he was meddlesome in her.

""He pronounced that he was saying Mrs Handy so that he did not have to poke serve for desperate, abounding women.""

Mr Mather-Lees said: "Christine Handy never perceived a penny in amends of these immeasurable sums of money."

Mr Mather-Lees told the jury this was "not the initial time" the suspect had acted dishonestly.

In 2002, he was convicted of 4 counts of burglary and one equate of fake accounting, the jury heard.

Mr De Rothschild Hatton denies 7 counts of obtaining income transfers by dishonesty and 3 counts of obtaining skill by dishonesty in between 2003 and 2005.

The hearing continues