But while smitten Janine, 36, planned their future, Lloyd-Harris – who’d lied about his career as a high-flying Sony exec – had secretly racked up £15,000 worth of debt on her credit cards and stolen £5,000 of her savings.
The mental-health nurse only discovered his betrayal seven months into their relationship – when she found credit card statements in her name under their bed. Janine, from Sunderland, says: “Our lifestyle felt too good to be true, but he said he wanted to spoil me, so I never doubted him. Now I know I was paying and he was using me. I doubt he ever loved me – I feel so stupid.”
Janine met Lloyd-Harris, now 32, in February 2009 through a friend. She says: “He’d started lodging with my friend as he’d just got back from travelling and got a job with Sony – or so he said. He told me he worked with Alexandra Burke. He took me to a fancy restaurant and I was impressed by how driven he was. We quickly became a couple.
'She found credit card statements in her name under the bed'
We’d go out and drink champagne and he’d always pick up the bill. He bought me flowers and gifts – once he got me a Vivienne Westwood jacket. But it was him I loved – the gifts were a bonus.”
After two months, Janine asked Adam to move in. She says: “He was affectionate, cuddly and made me laugh. Within a month, he’d told me he loved me.
“He’d leave statements around with balances of up to £25,000 – they must have been fake. He’d say he was working from home but, up to four times a week, he’d go to meetings across the country in a suit, and he boarded the train in first class.”
Lloyd-Harris also whisked Janine away to Portugal and Berlin. She says: “My family were happy for me and I got on with his family – they must have believed he had a top job as they never questioned our lifestyle. I never met his mates – they were in Northumberland, 60 miles away, where he grew up.”
Lloyd-Harris even said he wanted to buy a home for himself and Janine. The couple looked at properties and, in May 2009, Lloyd-Harris said he’d had an offer accepted on a £150,000 three-bed house in an area nearby. Janine says:
“I loved the house and we planned to move in before Christmas – I was so excited.”
But, in September, she uncovered the truth, saying: “I was cleaning and pulled out some boxes from under the bed.
A pile of credit card statements with my name on fell out. They were old accounts I’d cleared, but hadn’t cancelled – the cards had sat in a drawer. As I read the balances, I started shaking – they were for £8,000 and £3,000. I thought there must be a mistake, but I couldn’t ignore that they were hidden in Adam’s boxes.”
'It became clear everything he'd spent on me was paid for with my money'
Janine frantically searched the house. She says: “My heart was racing. In Adam’s car, I found credit card statements from four more companies in my name – totalling another £4,000. I burst into tears. They dated back to a month after we’d met. I’d used the cards to pay off debts and I’d never thought about cancelling them once I’d cleared the balance. He must have intercepted my post.”
As the truth sank in, Janine panicked about her ISA savings account. She says: “I hadn’t checked it for months and, when I went online, it was empty – my £5,000 savings had gone. My password was easy, so he must have had a lucky guess. I felt sick – that was £20,000 in total.
“Then anger took over and I phoned Adam and shouted: ‘I know what you’ve done.’ All he could do was mumble: ‘Sorry.’ I hung up and broke down crying, before calling the police.”
Janine alerted the bank and credit card companies before giving a police statement. She says: “It became clear everything he’d spent on me was paid for with my money. I felt humiliated.”
Incredibly, Lloyd-Harris returned home that night. Janine says: “I was shaking, but I was desperate for answers.
He was crying and kept saying he loved me and begged me not to end things. I kept asking: ‘Why?’ but he didn’t have any explanations. He claimed he’d pay me back, but I knew he was lying.”
Janine kicked Lloyd-Harris out, but then found he’d betrayed her further. She says: “I didn’t get why someone earning so much would steal, so I rang Sony and they’d never heard of Adam. I don’t know what he did all day. Then I rang the estate agent who confirmed Adam hadn’t bought the house – I guess he’d planned to leave me before I found out. The terror of discovering he wasn’t the man I thought was overwhelming.
“I also called his mum and she was shocked – she’d thought he was doing well at work. But she also said: ‘I can’t believe he’s done it again.’ It turned out he had a previous conviction for racking up debt on a uni friend’s credit card.”
'I had sleepless nights and took antidepressants for two years'
Lloyd-Harris was charged with six counts of fraud and one of theft. He denied the offences and a trial was set – but Janine had to pay £3,000 in card payments while the case was processed – money she hasn’t got back. She says: “I sold my clothes and his gifts on eBay and got a lodger to raise the money. But the betrayal was hard – I had sleepless nights and took antidepressants for two years. I became isolated and couldn’t trust anyone. Plus I’d lost the man I thought I’d loved.”
Lloyd-Harris changed his plea to guilty but, before his sentencing in February 2012, he went on the run – and was only re-arrested two weeks ago.