A CONMAN claimed he was a multi-millionaire to impress his girlfriend and netted thousands of pounds by posing as a debt collector, a court was told.

Christopher Bellisario-Villaweaver was a "compulsive liar" who claimed he was worth millions when he outbid others for an expensive house in the city, Worcester Crown court was told.

The 31-year-old, of Redcliffe Street, Worcester, also set himself up as a bailiff and debt collector and carried out frauds totalling £15,503, Daniel White, prosecuting, said.

Mr White said the scams did not net a large amount from any one person but they involved a large number of people and showed a 'repeated and sophisticated' pattern of offending.

In March, 2014, Bellisario-Villaweaver had expressed an interest in a house for sale in St George's Square, Worcester, and outbid others with an offer of £635,000.

To back up his claim that he had the money, he found two images on Google of offshore HSBC bank accounts, one showing a balance of £2,300,000 and the other £1,400,000.

He also claimed he had a trust fund but investigations revealed he did not have the money. His father had not spoken to him for 18 years and there was no cash.

"He said later he had done it to impress his girlfriend by making her think he was wealthy," Mr White said.

Bellisario-Villaweaver also advertised on the internet as an authorised debt collector and had business cards printed under the name Corporate Collections UK Ltd.

Several small businesses responded and arranged for him to collect debts of several hundred pounds on each occasion.

He called at the homes of the people who owed money, including some elderly people, and told various stories, including a claim that he was a court-approved bailiff.

He negotiated for payment to be made to him in cash, but did not pass it on to the businesses.

On one occasion, Mr White said, he was taken on to track down a boat which had been sold and moved to a marina in Evesham. He then claimed it was his own and sold it on for £2,000.

Bellisario-Villaweaver also visited two properties in Worcester seeking sponsorship for a charity bike ride for the British Heart Foundation and was given a total of £30, even though he had no intention of doing the ride.

He also scammed flat hunters by putting an online advert for a property for rent in Goldsmith Road, Worcester, though he was not the landlord.

Four people turned up to view it and he told each of them that if they gave him £200 deposit, they would secure the rental. They all handed over the money.

He pleaded guilty to 16 offences including fraud by false representation and making false documents and asked for 27 others to be taken into consideration.

Judith Kenney, defending, said Bellisario-Villaweaver's behaviour was "odd."

"His mind is wired in a different way," she said. "He calls himself a compulsive liar. He wants to be someone else."

She urged Judge Nicolas Cartwright not to "simply throw away the key" as Bellisario-Villaweaver was now looking for a way to draw a line under his offending and be a better person.

The judge said it was a complex case and adjourned sentence until Friday, January 20.