A man from Liverpool has pleaded guilty to defrauding a Chester couple out of more than £360,000.

Damien Tideswell appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, March 7, where he was he pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud.

The 42-year-old, of Hale Drive, Liverpool, has been released on bail and is set to be sentenced on Wednesday, April 24.

Operation Gains was launched by Cheshire Police in July 2021 after officers received an allegation that a couple from Chester had been defrauded out of £360,200.

The pair stated that Tideswell was a trusted friend and had told the victims that he had £3.5million in overseas accounts but that his bank accounts had been frozen by HMRC.

He asked the couple if he could loan money in order to repay the fine and assured them that he would repay all the money, plus a bit more, as soon as his accounts were unfrozen.

However, he never repaid any of the money and was continuing to ask for more cash so the couple reported the matter to police.

Tideswell was subsequently arrested following a warrant at his home in December 2021, and later charged with two counts of fraud.

Following Tideswell’s guilty plea, Detective Constable Gareth Yates, of the Economic Crime Unit at Cheshire Police, said: “Tideswell preyed upon unsuspecting victims in an investment fraud scheme. He falsely represented himself, claiming he had purchased and sold a plot of land in London.

“On top of this, he further misled them by alleging that the funds of the sale had been frozen by the HMRC within his bank account – necessitating the need for additional money to release the purported proceeds of the land sale.

“In truth, the sale of land was entirely fictitious, serving merely as a facade to extort funds from his victims. The victims provided Tideswell with more than £350,000. This elaborate ruse was designed to finance a lifestyle far beyond his legitimate means.”