Lonely bachelor hanged himself after cruel fraudsters offering love fleeced him of thousands of pounds

A LONELY bachelor hanged himself after cruel fraudsters offering love fleeced him of thousands of pounds, an inquest has heard.

Tragic Ian Doney, 51, transferred large sums and even paid for flights to bring one ‘girlfriend’ to the UK, it was said.

He waited at the airport all day but she never arrived.

The fraudster later claimed she had suffered an accident and persuaded Mr Doney to pay more money to cover her medical bills.

He was so desperate to please his imposters that he resorted to starving himself and selling his possessions so he could meet their growing demands.

Pals said the shop worker was “unable to separate fact from fiction” and even changed his Facebook status to ‘in a relationship’.

Mr Doney was found hanging at his home in Grimsby, Lincs., on August 30 last year after being repeatedly targeted. He died penniless.

A note found at the scene read: “I’m sorry. Sometimes a bad situation is the only solution to my problems.

“Sorry I’ve hurt you all but I can’t see any other way out. No one can help me now, it’s my own fault.”

Mr Doney visited a website for single people looking to travel abroad when he began speaking to an individual online in the Summer of 2015.

His sister, Gillian Doney, told the inquest at Cleethorpes Town Hall how he hoped to meet them during the trip but the rendezvous never materialised.

Mr Doney returned home and changed his Facebook status to “in a relationship” despite never actually meeting the woman behind the messages.

By then he had already started sending money to the fraudster without his family’s knowledge.

Miss Doney said he hoped to get married and start a family and paid for another woman to fly to the UK to live with him.

She said: “He thought she was going to come over here and that they were going to get married and have children.

“He had not had a relationship with anybody. He just wanted a family.”

Assistant coroner Jane Eatock recorded a verdict of suicide.

She said: “I know everyone feels difficult about things like this but actually you couldn’t have done more to help him.

“In the end he’s chosen a way which wasn’t the right way and actually there’s not much anyone could have done to stop that. It’s a really, really tragic story.”

A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: “Mr Doney’s family reported their concerns about him being defrauded out of money by an unknown woman to Action Fraud.

“This led to a referral to Humberside Police and a local officer visited Mr Doney advising him of the concerns raised.

“Unfortunately, like many people in his situation, he didn’t believe he was a victim and we were unable to progress any criminal investigation whilst he was willingly sending money.

“He was, however, given guidance on on-line interaction and the dangers of sending money to people he hadn’t met.”