An individual formerly employed as a police officer has been given a sentence for exploiting and deceiving multiple romantic partners to sustain his gambling addiction.
Lewis Rollins, a former police constable within the Met’s Central West Command Unit, utilized dating apps to manipulate women into financially supporting his uncontrollable gambling habit.
The 29-year-old duped women into giving him substantial sums of money to alleviate his mounting debts, all the while concealing his actual financial predicament. Court proceedings at Southwark Crown Court revealed that Rollins was concurrently involved with two women, extracting funds from both. Subsequently, he initiated a relationship with a third woman, persuading her to secure a £4,000 loan to settle his debts.
Following a trial, Rollins was found guilty by a jury on two counts of coercive or controlling behavior and three fraud charges. Additionally, he was convicted in a separate trial of assaulting another woman who intervened to protect her flatmate from his abusive behavior.
Dr. Georgia Miller, who encountered Rollins on Bumble in April 2022, detailed instances of his aggressive outbursts, verbal abuse, physical violence, and possessive behavior, including monitoring her phone activity.
In one incident in July of the same year, Rollins physically assaulted Dr. Miller in a Birmingham hotel room after suspecting she was communicating with an ex-partner. She recounted being forcibly thrown out of bed and forcefully pushed against a wall by Rollins.
During the trial, evidence of financial transactions was presented, including Dr. Miller transferring substantial amounts of money to Rollins under his false promises of repayment. Similarly, another woman, Alisha Steeds, who had been involved with Rollins since February 2022, contributed £1,500 towards his rent.
Rollins admitted to having the intention of repaying the borrowed amounts but instead squandered the funds through gambling. Trainee solicitor Emily Busby, who met Rollins through a dating app in 2023, disclosed lending him money out of pity. She provided £800 for his accommodation deposit after Rollins irresponsibly gambled away monetary gifts from his parents.
Later, in December 2023, Busby procured a £4,000 loan for Rollins, of which she forwarded £2,500 to him and utilized the remainder to settle her debts, resulting in a significant financial loss for her.
In a statement submitted during the sentencing, Busby expressed the enduring financial distress she continues to endure as a consequence of Rollins’ actions, revealing a loss of her savings and ongoing indebtedness.
The presiding judge, Christopher Hehir, rebuked Rollins for his lack of remorse and highlighted his manipulative behavior towards the victims. Despite Rollins’ period of abstinence from gambling, the judge condemned his exploitation of the victims’ generosity and emotions, leading to profound negative impacts on their lives.
Rollins was handed an 18-month community order, mandated to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and directed to repay £3,132.50 to Busby within six months as compensation.
