A "FANTASIST" who posed as a barrister to trick a terminal cancer sufferer out of her life savings has been jailed for eight years.

Michael Cremin conned Sandra Burch out of £92,000 in a fraudulent property deal to buy himself a £29,000 Volkswagen Scirocco.

Ms Burch, 51, from Salisbury, Wiltshire, quit her job when she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and was relying on her pension when she fell victim to the fraudster.

She was forced to return to work part-time after Cremin robbed her of her life savings.

Cremin carried out other frauds to purchase at least 14 cars which Gloucestershire Police believe total more than £330,000.

The 41-year-old, who advertised himself as a lawyer and advocate but has been described by police as a fantasist, was listed on a legitimate chambers website and falsely claimed to have a law degree from the University of London.

In reality, while Cremin worked on several cases as a legal representative, he had no legal qualifications and a history of using his knowledge of the legal system to threaten people.

Expensive cars were a recurring theme, with Cremin also found guilty of making fraudulent representations to acquire finance for top-of-the-range vehicles including Toyota, Lexus and Volkswagen models.

He impersonated a barrister in correspondence with several people, in one case writing to a couple using the name of a real barrister and falsely claiming they had breached planning regulations.

He also provided false employment references to a letting agency in Cirencester when he was a tenant at a house in the Gloucestershire town.

Cremin then disputed the owners' right to inspect the property and forced them to take action at the county court and then the Court of Appeal before he was finally evicted.

It caused the elderly couple who had invested in the house as part of their retirement plan months of distress, health problems, lost rent and £20,000 in legal fees.

Cremin, of Buncombe Way, Cirencester, was found guilty of six counts of fraud and one count of pretending to be a barrister following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

David Nathan QC, defending, said: "The impact upon Ms Burch is horrific. When you read her impact statement it is impossible not to be moved.

"Ms Burch is very poorly and nothing I can say can change that. This is not a man with a large record for fraudulent activity and in my submission there is a balance to be struck."

Mr Nathan added: "In terms of personal mitigation I am not seeking to waste Your Honour's time in coming up with anything that begins to impress the court."

Jailing Cremin for eight years, Judge Michael Longman said he had used "bluff and bluster" to defraud his victims.

"You have been convicted of six counts of fraud and one count of pretending to be a barrister by the jury who saw through the lies you told in the days you were giving evidence," he said.

"During all the offending, you portrayed yourself as a person of more substance than you are, falsely claiming to have law degrees and a doctorate."

The judge added: "Your depiction in your evidence of Mrs Burch having been the author of her own misfortune is an illustration of the depths you were prepared to sink in order to save your own skin."

The Irish national, who is originally from County Cork, was also disqualified from being a company director for nine years. He faces Proceeds of Crime proceedings later this year.

As Cremin was led away to begin his sentence, he said: "Your Honour, I don't agree with the verdict and I have to appeal."

Detective Sergeant Dave Fryatt, of Gloucestershire Police, said: "Cremin was what you might call a 'paralegal' - he wasn't a barrister or solicitor but had taught himself a lot about the law and was involved in the legal system.

"The problem is he over-egged his position and introduced letters after his name suggesting he was a doctor of law. He then never sought to correct anyone who believed he was a genuine solicitor or barrister.

"Sandra was incredibly brave in coming forward as Cremin even threatened to take legal action against her for defamation when she challenged him.

"We did manage to freeze some of Cremin's accounts during the investigation and are trying to ensure some money is returned to Sandra but it will only be a fraction of what she lost.

"There is a danger people think that Cremin only caused harm to corporate entitles like Toyota but there have been some really personal cases here that have led to a lot of personal anguish and distress.

"Cremin was a fantasist and vindictive when challenged.

"Now we just want the public to be aware of the issues this case raises to stop anyone else getting away with the same thing."