Serial bride plundered bank accounts

Emma Golightly met her victims, seduced them and then stole their cash.

She told one victim she was a multi millionaire company boss and even claimed told would-be husbands that she was dying of cancer so that they would marry her.

Golightly, 22, is facing sentence at Newcastle Crown Court after admitting deception.

The extent of the femme fatale's crime spree, including more than 60 offences taken into consideration, was estimated to be in excess of £100,000.

Golightly, of Meadowfield Gardens, Wallsend, North Tyneside, wove an astonishing web of deceit.

She even ripped off her own family, using her mother and grandmother's credit cards.

Newcastle CID began to probe the deceptions after her extravagant lifestyle ended in huge bills for the men she romanced.

She had originally married Chris Williams after they met in May 2004.

The pair got together after she answered a dating advertisment which he had placed in the local paper.

She told Mr Williams she had suffered from breast cancer in the past, but was recovered.

In September 2004 Mr Williams started his own business and worked in Carlisle.

She would stay at his home on weekends.

By December 2004 she told him she was suffering from terminal breast cancer and didn't want to die without being a bride.

Believing her sob story the couple tied the knot seven months after meeting, just before Christmas 2004, at Gateshead registry office.

Golightly told her bridegroom they had been given a wedding gift of £500 from her father - but in fact she had taken it from his account without his knowledge.

A month later Golightly booked a week-long luxury break for her and her new husband in Jamaica.

She told her groom she would foot the bill as a honeymoon treat but it later turned out she had put the £8,600 bill on his credit card without his knowledge.

She used another of his credit cards to pay for the £200 train tickets to get the couple to Heathrow for their flight - again without telling him.

When challenged by her new husband she admitted her deceit and promised to pay him back.

But a £12,000 cheque she gave him later bounced.

In March that year Golightly told Mr williams she wanted to buy Land Rovers for her new husband and her mum.

She told her husband she could afford to pay for the cars out of her savings and inheritance money she had put away.

When the couple visited a car showroom she said she would buy a £42,000 Discovery for Mr Williams and he agreed to pay the £1,000 deposit.

She told sales staff the balance would be paid by electronic transfer and asked for a £13,000 motor to be kept in the showroom until Mothering Sunday as a surprise.

Once both cars were in her possession it became clear the electronic transfers would never materialise and when she was pressed for payment Golightly presented cheques to the showrooms - which bounced.

By April 2005 Mr Williams ended the marriage and ordered his new bride out of his house.

He said yesterday: "It was a bad time in my life and I'd rather not talk about it."

Later that month she went onto an internet dating site to meet another unsuspecting man from Ashington, Northumberland.

More men followed, all professional, including a man from Heaton, Newcastle, in broadcasting, who she arranged to "marry" at Newcastle's Copthorne Hotel in October 2005.

But the marriage didn't go ahead because she was still married to Mr Williams and the relationship broke up.

She then turned her attentions on a construction management worker from County Durham.

Golightly, who also used the names Richardson and Taylor, had used the men in her life to get their credit card details and security numbers.

She pretended she was a bridal dress company owner worth £6-7m in some of her scams. With money as no object, the men who fell under her spell were lavished with cars, gifts and holidays by the "high-powered businesswoman."

Golightly would hire a chauffeur driven car to take them home and would constantly be on her mobile making fictitious business deals.

But Golightly, was paying for all the luxuries by ripping off the victims' own credit cards.

She would mainly order property and services for her lovers on the internet or telephone.

Her present husband, Mr Williams, is currently seeking to have his marriage to Golightly annulled.

She moved on to a broadcasting executive and attempted to lure him into marriage.

Emma's 'cancer' drugs were later tested and they turned out to be an anti-histamine and anti-depressants.

The groom later visited the registrar's office to find out why he hadn't turned up and had been informed that although they were aware of the wedding plans.

But they had informed her that without also meeting him in person, a wedding could not go ahead.

Emma had proceeded with the wedding arrangements anyway, booking his relatives, some of whom came from abroad, into rooms in the Hilton and Copthorne hotels.

A week later he threw her out of his home.

He later realised the extent of her lies. As credit card bills began to arrive he called the police who said he would have to press charges against her in order to have some of the money reimbursed.

One of her victims was duped into believing he was part owner of Marthas bar on Dean Street, Newcastle.

Golightly was due to appear before Newcastle Crown Court for sentence on Monday, after pleading guilty to the charges at a previous hearing.

Psychiatric and other reports were prepared.

But the case was adjourned until January 29 after a family bereavement.

Her 19-year-old brother, Craig, died suddenly on December 17th from a suspected heart attack.

His mother and father, along with his other sister, Stacy and grandparents were left devastated by the tragedy.