Terminal cancer conman scammed best friend out £59,000 for fake hospital operations

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A gambler who conned his best friend out of £59,000 by pretending to have terminal cancer has been jailed for 16 months. Martin McCarthy, 54, made the bogus claims to Raymond Doyle at his home in Glasgow's Summerston between August 2018 and July 2021.

McCarthy pretended that he had to go to London to receive specialist treatment and Mr Doyle paid his expenses.He was under the false belief he would receive his money back under as McCarthy was due a large pension pay-out.

The conman also scarred his head and sent pictures pretended to have brain surgery to continue the ruse.McCarthy pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to the single charge of obtaining £59,000 by fraud.

The court heard McCarthy moved from London to Glasgow in 2017 and befriended Mr Doyle.The pair became best friends and Mr Doyle gave McCarthy a job at his company paying him £1,400 a month.Prosecutor Christopher McKnight said: "In August 2018, McCarthy told him that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer for which there was no cure."He stated that he only had five years to live and as being treated at the Beatson cancer clinic in Glasgow.