NEWS
Coleen was in a relationship with “James Scott” for extra than two years
By Jon Douglas
Producer: Esteem-Bombed
Coleen Greenwood believed her accomplice of additional than two years was a divorced firefighter known as James. But after getting engaged and having a runt bit one with him, she came across that the whole thing about him was an account for, conscientiously crafted sham. A brand new BBC podcast, Esteem-Bombed, tells the epic.
Being a firefighter was a gargantuan piece of James Scott’s life.
It was outstanding on his relationship profile and he would discuss it repeatedly.
When he returned to Coleen’s home in Chester-le-Highway, County Durham, on the pause of his shifts, his uniform would veritably reek of smoke.
Whereas on responsibility he would send her text messages detailing his call-outs, he on the whole incorporated emojis – a fireplace engine if he was responding to a blaze, one of a automotive for avenue crashes.
He had work emails purporting to be from County Durham and Darlington Fireplace and Rescue Service and showed Coleen a thank you card he claimed he had been despatched by a boy he rescued from a fireplace.
“I was so touched,” Coleen recollects. “I outmoded to have that card on my desk at work. I could perchance presumably perchance perchance stumble on at it and mediate ‘Ahh, bless him. He did that, he saved that runt boy’.
“Someone that may perchance hear would hear about his busy job and all of the antics that went on.
“My family, my chums, my colleagues – all people believed he was a fireman.”
No longer excellent was James Scott now not a firefighter, that wasn’t even his proper name.
Image source, Coleen Greenwood
Coleen Greenwood fell in love with the person calling himself James Scott after assembly him on-line
Coleen was 41 when she met him thru a relationship online page in 2014 and he went out of his way to acquire her affections.
He bombarded her with vegetation, veritably just a few bouquet a day, and would flip up at her predicament of work to topple off her favourite almond croissants.
She fell in love with him due to the he got right here across as humorous, kind and a correct father to the two daughters he had with his ex-accomplice.
In fact though, the accomplice was now not an “ex” and the imaginary daughters were actually three sons.
It was now not until 2017 that Coleen came across James Scott was the persona outmoded by a jobless aged soldier known as Greg Wilson.
He lived with his family in Darlington, 28 miles from her home.
The firefighter ruse allowed Wilson to utilize days and nights away from Coleen. His father had been a firefighter which intended he may perchance presumably perchance perchance way on recordsdata of the job to brighten his lies.
The longer Coleen was with him, the deeper his deceit grew.
‘Miracle runt one’
Durham Police imagine Wilson faked a vasectomy, manipulating Coleen into unprotected intercourse.
She had considered him bandaged and interestingly in some discomfort following the operation, and he showed her a doctor’s sage which said he had a zero sperm depend.
“He’ll have confirmed her a hundred fake paperwork and which can be one of them,” says Det Con Chris Bentham who investigated the case.
“It be a disgraceful thing to create.”
Coleen grew to develop into pregnant and 15 months into the connection had a runt bit one boy.
Wilson known as the initiating a “miracle”.
Coleen started receiving gifts for the new arrival.
Image source, Coleen Greenwood
Wilson fathered a runt bit one boy with Coleen
Your whole whereas she was unaware that Wilson had dumped his accomplice and three sons in talk in self belief to circulation in alongside with her and the runt one.
Wilson’s (now divorced) accomplice, Rachel, told the BBC he left her penniless and whereas he did admit to having an affair, she had no plan he was the use of a fake identity.
The imposter allowed his unfounded name and fake occupation to be entered on the runt one’s initiating certificates and for the boy to be given the fabricated surname of Scott.
‘Wealthy mother’ rip-off
He proposed to Coleen and he or she accredited, unaware that he was already married.
Wilson moreover started swindling money from her twin sister Karen, who regarded as him a “member of the family”, to make investments in an alleged enterprise.
He knew the sisters had dreamed of opening a restaurant and, as time had long gone on, he had cheerful them his mother was a in fact correctly off retired skilled dwelling in France with an ambition to make investments in a wine bar or restaurant.
“It sounded huge,” Coleen says.
Image source, Rachel Wilson
James Scott was actually a married father-of-three known as Greg Wilson
The invented deal was that the monied mother would give part of the new enterprise to him and Coleen, whereas Karen offered to make investments money from an inheritance and rental incomes.
The couple toured web sites in Newcastle procuring for the truthful venue to redevelop sooner than deciding on an outmoded nightclub.
Wilson faked paperwork and messages to dupe the sisters into believing the mission was legit.
He even location up meetings with right enterprise other folks – a public relatives specialist, a skilled photographer and a videographer – which extra solidified the con.
All were fed the same ruse that there was a correctly off mother in France bankrolling the trend.
Wilson’s proper mother is a retired nursery manager from Sunderland. She was oblivious to the lies being told in her name.
Image source, Coleen Greenwood
Wilson lied about opening a bar in Newcastle with Coleen and Karen
Wilson never did have the money to win a restaurant or employ the oldsters who had started working for him.
He regarded of wealth by embezzling Karen’s money.
He took the sisters and his new enterprise contacts to company hospitality events at Newcastle Falcons rugby club, the build he dined in the platinum suite, which he did now not have the money to pay for.
Newcastle Falcons – and other companies who had accommodated him – would pause up pursuing Wilson for money owed, sooner than lining up alongside Karen and Coleen to give proof towards him.
Wilson’s lies did meet up with him eventually, after he twice cancelled the marriage ceremony.
Coleen’s family had grown suspicious and came across that the venue printed on the invitations had now not even been booked.
Earlier than they may perchance presumably perchance perchance confront him, Wilson handed over the runt one he’d had with Coleen and drove off, never to return.
Coleen refuses to permit the journey to taint the the relaxation of her life
In April 2020 Wilson was jailed for six years after pleading responsible to extra than one counts of fraud.
Why he did it all remains a mystery. Durham Police create now not imagine it was for monetary accomplish as any money he bought largely went on funding the deception.
Wilson has been contacted by the BBC but is but to retort.
For Coleen, the fallout was deeply negative.
“I misplaced a stone in a number of weeks. I did now not employ, I did now stay unsleeping. My whole body outmoded to shake all of the time,” she says.
“It was esteem a bereavement due to the we cherished him. He was a elementary piece of our family, esteem a lynchpin, and then he was long gone. And it was esteem, how create you cope?”
Vicky Pattison hosts the new BBC podcast Esteem-Bombed, which tells Coleen’s epic
Coleen, now 49, eventually met some other man but, due to the her journey with Wilson, she was extraordinarily cautious.
She insisted on seeing his passport, assembly all his family and visiting his home sooner than she felt she may perchance presumably perchance perchance belief him.
They for the time being are fortunately married and her husband has adopted the runt one she had with Wilson.
“If I truthful crumpled and became into a individual-hater and did now not belief some other individual then he will get all of the vitality, doesn’t he?” she says.
“He was a spoiled individual and I was truthful unhappy but that doesn’t mean that I hurry to tar all people with the same brush.
“I wasn’t going to let him acquire”.
