Who is David Coombs and where is he now?
DAVID COOMBS was jailed in 2017 for conning thousands of pounds out of often vulnerable women.
Here, we take a look at his life and crimes.
Who is David Coombs?
David Coombs is a career criminal, who first gained notoriety in the 90s as the “Casanova conman”.
He was deported from Norway a number of times after being accused of targeting dozens of women there.
In 1998 he boasted of having 227 sexual partners.
Where is David Coombs now?
Coombs is the subject of a new BBC documentary series called Parole, which features recordings of criminals during these hearings.
While stuck in Wormwood Scrubs, he claimed to have finally reformed his ways.
He had an epiphany when he nearly became a fraud victim himself and swore this would make him “an honest person”.
Coombs had been automatically released on licence previously, but absconded.
He travelled to Turkey, then to Russia, from where he was deported.
He was arrested on his return to the UK and given an extended sentence.
Coombs fate is set to be revealed at the end of the episode.
The programme takes viewers into hearings which determines whether certain prisoners in England and Wales are ready to be allowed out of jail on supervised probation, or must remain locked up for public safety.
Scotland has a very similar system.
What crimes did David Coombs commit?
He has 23 convictions in all, having been first prosecuted in 1982.
He met his victims through dating websites or by striking up relationships with them in person; he left them devastated financially and psychologically.
In one case in Hampshire, Coombs even wheeled a woman who had just had a leg amputated to a hospital cash machine to withdraw money for him.
There were also cases where he would steal from peoples houses after saying he needed a place to stay for the night.
How long was David Coombs sentenced to in prison?
Coombs was sentenced to four years in prison in February 2017 for nine counts of fraud at Southampton Crown Court.
Coombs parole hearing took place in 2022.