A charming conman who swindled his two lovers out of thousands of pounds was caught out when the women turned detective on him.
Smooth-talking Julio Sweeney started relationships with single mums Sara Muslin and Jane Fuller around the same time and persuaded them to loan him money.
Neither woman was aware he was dating the other until five months later when Miss Fuller became suspicious of Sweeney Facebook messaging 'work colleague' Miss Muslin.
She contacted care home manager Miss Muslin and the two began talking and realised they had both been conned.
The pair, who were duped out of a combined £10,000 by Sweeney, decided to report him to the police.
Now firm friends, they sat in court as they watched as the 'heartless sociopath' was sent to prison for 15 months after he pleaded guilty to 14 fraud offences.
The court heard that Sweeney, a carer, first met Miss Muslin, who is aged in her 50s, through work and they began a romantic relationship in March 2017.
Around the same time he also started dating Miss Fuller, an NHS worker aged in her late 40s who lived next door to him in Wimborne, Dorset.
He asked Miss Muslin for a loan to buy a car and Miss Fuller, who he moved in with, for money to start up a business.
Sweeney, 58, promised to pay them back but never did.
He also took jewellery, which had belonged to Miss Fuller's late mother, and never returned it.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard his actions had ruined the women's lives.
Miss Muslin said Sweeney took £8,365 from her, which led to her going overdrawn and having to remortgage her house.
Miss Fuller had more than 30 years service in the NHS, but the deception meant she had to be signed off work and struggled to cope when she did return, getting several disciplinaries.
She and her daughter also had to move house and she had to rely on her father to help her out with finances.
Jonathan Underhill, prosecuting, said: "Both were completely unaware that Mr Sweeney was in a relationship with either of them.
"In a remarkably short period of time he made a number of false representations in order to persuade them to give him money.
"He said they were short-term loans that he would repay and that he had the means to repay."
The court heard that Sweeney's deception came to light in September 2017.
Miss Fuller said: "Although we never knew each other prior to this we did know of each other. I thought she was a work colleague and she knew I was a neighbour.
"He used to disappear for days, sometimes weeks at a time, allegedly 'working'.
"On this particular day on his return his phone kept pinging when I glanced over to him Sara's Facebook profile bubble was on his phone.
"He said it was work and Sara wanted him to work a shift. I had a suspicion something wasn't right and decided to friend request her."
She said Sweeney was always charming and charismatic and had persuaded her and her father to loan him money.
"It was devastating to find out he was doing the exact same thing to another family. I was broken into a million pieces.
"He walked away with it all and left me with nothing.
"He probably stole in excess of £20,000 in possessions and £6,000 cash. He had two phones I had to carry on paying off. My credit rating is in tatters because of the debt Julio put me in. I defaulted on my phone and car payments.
"He is a heartless, selfish, manipulating sociopath who preys on single, hard-working parents to break them down and gets a kick out of doing so."
Miss Muslin said her parents and children had both been taken in by Sweeney and she struggled to trust anyone now.
She said: "I was made to feel like I was going mad. He made me question myself and I was made to feel stupid.
"He took £8,365 from me, I had charges for being overdrawn, high interest on credit cards, I had to remortgage my house and got a CCJ because of it.
"I had never been in debt before I met Julio. If he hadn't taken my money I would not be in debt now."
When interviewed, Sweeney claimed to police his relationship with Miss Muslin was sexual and she had put the money in his account so they could have a 'good time' at hotels, festivals and on nights out.
He said when the relationship ended she sent him a message saying she didn't want any money back.
He eventually admitted fraud against Miss Muslin of £4,000 and £6,165 against Miss Fuller.
Edward Warren, defending, said Sweeny, originally from Trinidad, was of previous good character and had 'his own vulnerabilities'.
In jailing him Recorder James Newton-Price QC said: "Both of these women were unaware of the other. You cheated each of them by asking for loans which they could not really afford to give you.
"Both these women blame themselves but they should not. It was all your fault.
"I take the view that your conduct towards both women was manipulative and had a devastating effect.
"Sara Muslin you made her feel extremely foolish and put her into serious debt. Jane Fuller had to be signed off work on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
"You lack genuine remorse and victim awareness."
