Wife sent pics to scammer who threatened to divulge 'affair'

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Not long after warning other women about the dangers of love scammers, mum of two Gail Astin died at the age of just 46, having 'never realised how well-liked she was'
A mother of two who was left heartbroken by a cruel love scammer sadly died at the age of just 46, in a tale of deceit followed by a tragic diagnosis.
Back in 2019, Gail Astin made headlines after opening up about her ordeal at the hands of a Nigeria-based fraudster, who threatened to send her naked selfies to friends and family.
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Married housewife Gail, who'd been signed off work with stress, fell for the crook, who went by the name David Williams, at a time when she'd felt "isolated" and unable to open up about the mental health difficulties she was experiencing.
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In August 2018, Gail was still struggling following her family's 2011 move from Burnley, Lancashire, to the Scottish border town of Jedburgh, and desperately wanted a friend to confide in.
David, who'd contacted Gail out of the blue, had presented himself as a widowed dad and Texas-born marine engineer who'd moved to Nigeria for work purposes.
For four months, the pair exchanged Instagram and WhatsApp messages with "caring" David, making Gail feel "special again". Then things took a horrifying turn.
In September of that same year, after one month of chatting, David "pleaded" with Gail for her to send him intimate photographs. Feeling sorry for the "sympathetic" widower, she agreed.
At the time she went public with her story, Gail explained: "He always told me to trust him, and I did. He told me his wife had died, and I felt sorry for him. He pulled on my heartstrings.
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"He always came across as caring and sympathetic towards me, too.. He took an interest in what I was going through. My husband was struggling with how to deal with my feelings.
"He's not an emotional person, so for a long time, I bottled my own emotions up."
Claiming he required financial support for food and travel, David pestered Gail for cash, and she obliged, sending him £5,500 over the course of several transactions between the months of August and December.
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Gail was initially led to believe that David, who claimed he needed money to return to his daughter, Sharon, in the States, would repay her. However, doubts crept in when, in November, he refused to help pay off Gail's Visa bill, as promised.
David's requests escalated, and when Gail refused to send over any more funds, he "turned nasty" and threatened to make her nudes go "viral".
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One message demanding £2,000 within 30 minutes read: "I wonder how your [family] will think of you when your nicked [sic] pictures get viral."
In another message, David threatened: "I am going to be blunt with you as I don't have the luxury of wasting time." You will listen to what I have to say and you will listen good."
"You have one hour. Get the cops involved, and everyone, including the Scottish borders, will know.
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"Do not f*ck with me am not here to play games. The tough girl act is just going to make things worse for you."
Detailing her thought process at this time, in what was a brave attempt to warn other women, Gail shared: "I was going through a bad time. I felt lonely and needed someone to talk to. He caught me at a low point.
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"At first, he asked for £200 for iTunes cards so he could buy data for his phone. He seemed so desperate and just kept asking me. He was persistent.
"He started asking for more and more, but he promised he would get the money back to me. I honestly believed him. I knew in my head that what I was doing was wrong, but I still did it. I can't explain why. I was just in the wrong frame of mind."
She continued: "He lured me in and kept asking for more and more. I didn't want to send him any more money. When I said no, he told me he would send the photos to my mum, dad, sister, and husband.
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"I'm ashamed of what I did. I didn't want to take the photos, but he wouldn't stop asking for them. I didn't want to hurt Simon, but I didn't know what else to do. I had to tell him."
Gail was left so distraught by the ordeal that she dialled 999 after experiencing "suicidal" thoughts. It was then that she found the courage to open up to Simon.
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Although angry, devoted Simon vowed to stand by Gail and paid off her debts using money inherited from his late father. Looking back on this difficult time, Gail revealed: "Before this, he seemed so genuine. I was so scared. I was a complete mess.
"I phoned Simon and told him to come home from work because the police were at our house. I said I'd explain everything. He was angry. I feared for my marriage, and I did say that if he wants me to go, I will leave.
"We try not to talk about it because it makes him very angry. He has struggled to come to terms with it all.
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"I feel guilty because we have lost so much money. But he felt to blame too for me being there for me and spending more time together. I hate myself for what I've done, and I thought he would leave me."
Remarking that the incident very nearly "broke" them, health and safety adviser Simon admitted: "I had no idea what was going on and I was absolutely clueless and in the dark. I had all sorts running through my mind. I started to feel guilty. I thought I hadn't paid her enough attention and felt completely inadequate.
"I thought to myself ', had I not been paying her enough attention'. It was all too much to take in. I couldn't comprehend why she would do what she did. I came to terms with the fact the money was gone forever.
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"At one point, I didn't know if we would get through it, but I never actually considered leaving her.
"I just wanted to put it all behind us and move on. We are over that rocky patch, and we are moving on as a family now."
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The couple worked on rebuilding their relationship, with Gail expressing gratitude for her "second chance". Gail, who went on to reach out to police, went on to change her phone numbers, email addresses and social media accounts. She stated that she never wanted to talk to a stranger online again.
It was later discovered that the 'David' had been using photographs of Portuguese businessman, Pedro Hipolito, pretending these were of himself.
Pedro, who works with companies in Africa, believes this line of work makes him an "easy target" when it comes to identity theft, and expressed fury at the time that his image was being used to exploit vulnerable women.
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In October 2020, husband Simon shared that Gail had died just two months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Speaking with the Burnley Express at the time, Simon paid tribute to his wife of 18 years, whom he described as his "best friend and soulmate". He said: "The messages of support and encouragement she received when we told people about her illness left her very humbled. She never realised how well-liked she was."
Simon and Gail met through their love of Burnley Football Club, connecting through an online supporters' group. They went on to marry in 2002, and welcomed two sons together,
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After learning that she had an inoperable tumour, Gail opted to undergo radiotherapy to have more time with her family. She also put together a 'bucket list', wanting to tick off wishes such as embarking on a hot air balloon ride and swimming with dolphins.
Simon remembered: "Gail made so many friends from all over the country through the football.
"Everyone always commented on her infectious smile and bubbly personality, but she was also quite a private person, and family was very important to her."
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Gail was so well thought of that a fundraising page set up to help her tick off her bucket list ambitions raised £3,000. One of her hopes was to enjoy a lunch with her favourite Claret player, Jay Rodriguez, which she had booked in her diary.
Sadly, this had to be cancelled due to a hospital appointment. Simon, who has vowed to carry out some of his late wife's bucket list wishes, continued: After that, Gail became gravely ill and was taken into hospital. But Jay Rod kept in touch and messaged to say how sorry he was to hear about Gail, and he has got in touch to see how I am."
Gail was laid to rest in her beloved Burnley, with mourners asked to dress as though they were attending a football match. According to Simon: "That is what Gail would have wanted as she was never happier than when fraternising with the away fans at the cricket club and being amongst her fellow Clarets.
"And although we moved to Scotland, her heart remained in Burnley and it was her wish for this to be her final resting place."