'Manipulative and arrogant' conman footballer stole money from women he met online to fund betting

A "manipulative and arrogant" amateur footballer stole money from women he met on dating sights to open betting accounts.

Joseph Regan, 22, from Cardiff, stole more than £1,500 in total from his two victims.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Regan, a goalkeeper for Cardiff Corinthians FC, had targeted his victims - a teacher from Cardiff and a nurse from Bristol - between December 2021 and February 2022.

He stole £1,420 from his first victim, threatening to turn up at the school where she worked and falsely claim she had had an inappropriate relationship with him when he was 19.

The teacher said: "I worked so hard to be a teacher. I felt I could lose everything because of an immature, arrogant individual.

"If he’s capable of turning up he’s going to say whatever."

Following the sentencing hearing, she said Regan had been "very forward" and "very charming and attentive" at the beginning of their short relationship.

She added: "He was putting on this front, he was saying he loved me and I thought that was so forward. He was saying we should go on holiday together. This was [after] just three weeks and to some degree I had fallen for it."

The teacher said he had talked her into letting him use her card to open a betting account.

She said: "He would send pictures of his card and say ‘Why don’t you trust me? I have sent my cards to you’.

"He was calling me stupid and stuff. I had feelings towards him so I thought he must be genuine. I didn’t see how someone could do this to me."

Talking about the moment she realised money had gone missing from her account, Regan's first victim said: "I was in a state of panic, I hadn’t bought any Christmas presents...At first, I thought I had spent this money myself. I didn’t know what to do, I thought it was just a mistake and no one would do this to me."

The second victim, who started a casual relationship with Regan after matching with him on a dating app, said he asked her to open an account while staying at her house, adding: "When I said no he automatically changed his mood and got really funny, short and snappy because he didn’t get his way."

The defendant persuaded her to let him use her card details before leaving early the next morning.

The nurse said it was at this point she realised her card was facing the wrong way in her purse.

She said: "I text him and asked if he had been in my purse. He was asking ‘Why are you accusing me' and was being really rude....He was very blunt and derogative."

Over the next few days, money started disappearing from her bank account but, when she tried to contact him, he would not return her calls.

Describing the impact of the theft, she said: "I had just bought a new car, I had to pay for my insurance, rent. I was in a panic and [thought] ‘Oh my god what am I going to do'."

Regan was arrested after both victims independently contacted the police and Action Fraud.

He initially denied the offences and claimed the victims had given him permission to spend the money on gambling.

Regan, of Newport Road, Rumney, later pleaded guilty to two counts of theft.

Defending Regan, barrister Kevin Seal said the amateur footballer was "ashamed" of what he had done and was going through a "difficult patch" of gambling addiction.

He said his client was now on the road to recovery and has been offered a job.

Sentencing, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said Regan had "duped" his victims in what was "repeated behaviour."

Regan was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to pay £1,280 in compensation and carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.

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