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Paul Williams: The Psychic Conman | Conmen Case Files | Real Crime

Real Crime・2 minutes read

Paul Williams, a con man who posed as a psychic, exploited vulnerable elderly individuals, specifically Irene Hixson and Joyce Sutton, to manipulate them for financial gain, ultimately leading to his arrest and guilty plea for forgery and theft, leaving his victims devastated and betrayed. Despite his claims of mental health issues and extramarital affairs, Williams used his fake psychic abilities to deceive and exploit individuals, leaving his elderly victims without hope of recovering their stolen money and highlighting the devastating impact of his deceit on their trust and well-being.

Insights

  • Paul Williams, a con man, preyed on vulnerable individuals, especially the elderly, by posing as a psychic, exploiting their trust and loneliness to extract their life savings and control their actions.
  • Williams used his charm and fabricated psychic abilities to deceive victims like Irene Hixson and Joyce Sutton, manipulating them for financial gain, ultimately leading to his arrest and imprisonment for forgery and theft.

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Recent questions

  • How did Paul Williams deceive his victims?

    Paul Williams exploited people's trust and beliefs in the spiritual world, particularly targeting vulnerable individuals like the elderly, by portraying himself as a psychic. He used charm, lies, and manipulation to deceive his victims, preying on their susceptibility and loneliness. Williams fabricated stories of psychic abilities being a gift from the spiritual realm, gaining local fame and living a lavish lifestyle through his deceitful tactics.

  • Who did Paul Williams target with his scams?

    Paul Williams targeted vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly, recently bereaved, and lonely people. He manipulated their belief in psychic abilities to extract their life savings and control their actions. Williams' exploitation of vulnerable individuals showcases his heartless and callous nature as a traditional con man, using his fake psychic abilities for personal gain.

  • What were the consequences of Paul Williams' actions?

    Paul Williams' exploitation of vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly, led to devastating consequences for his victims. He manipulated them for financial gain, stealing life savings, and leaving them in distress. Williams' deceitful tactics not only resulted in financial loss but also caused emotional turmoil and shattered trust among those he targeted.

  • How did Paul Williams manipulate Joyce Sutton?

    Paul Williams manipulated Joyce Sutton by gaining her trust after her husband's death, claiming to have received messages from him. He convinced her to move to a hotel to cope with her loss and forged a will hidden in a grandfather clock, supposedly leaving half of the estate to Williams. This manipulation led to Williams stealing a significant sum of Joyce's money and her checkbooks, ultimately resulting in his arrest and guilty plea for forgery and theft.

  • What impact did Paul Williams have on his victims?

    Paul Williams' deceitful actions had a profound impact on his victims, leaving them devastated and betrayed. Despite serving only a short sentence, Williams left his elderly victims without hope of recovering their stolen money, highlighting the devastating consequences of his manipulation and exploitation. The trust and well-being of those targeted by Williams were severely affected, showcasing the lasting impact of his deceptive tactics.

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Summary

00:00

Deceptive Psychic Exploits Elderly for Profit

  • Paul Williams, a con man, exploited people's trust and beliefs in the spiritual world to manipulate vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly, for financial gain.
  • Williams portrayed himself as a psychic, using his charm and lies to deceive his victims, preying on their susceptibility and loneliness.
  • He targeted the elderly, recently bereaved, and lonely individuals, manipulating their belief in psychic abilities to extract their life savings and control their actions.
  • In 1997, Williams, living in the Midlands with his family, gained local fame as a psychic, conducting spiritualist meetings and claiming psychic powers.
  • Williams fabricated a dramatic story of a near-death experience in the Falklands War, claiming his psychic abilities were a gift from the spiritual realm.
  • Despite his fictitious origins, Williams lived a lavish lifestyle, residing in an impressive canal-side cottage and operating a profitable psychic shop and working as a hotel's in-house psychic.
  • Williams falsely boasted of assisting police investigations and providing psychic readings to celebrities, all of which were proven to be lies.
  • Williams targeted vulnerable individuals like Irene Hixson, befriending her and manipulating her trust to inherit her estate, including her house and valuables.
  • Williams' influence over Hixson was so strong that hospital staff referred to him as her son, deceiving her close cousins into believing his false claims.
  • Williams' exploitation of vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly, showcases his heartless and callous nature as a traditional con man, using his fake psychic abilities for personal gain.

15:54

Exploitative Executor: Paul Williams' Deception

  • Irene Hixson passed away on December 22, 2000, two years after meeting Paul Williams, who was left most of her estate in her will.
  • Paul Williams was the executor of Irene's will, giving him complete control over her possessions after her death.
  • Williams dominated Irene's funeral, giving a eulogy that Doug's wife found insincere, claiming Irene was his closest friend.
  • Despite not breaking the law, Williams used Irene's generosity to con one of her lodgers after her death, going against her final wishes.
  • Williams gained ownership of Irene's house but disregarded her will's stipulation for her lodgers to continue living there.
  • Williams manipulated one of Irene's elderly lodgers, Jerry Rowley, who was blind and vulnerable, stealing his life savings.
  • Williams moved Jerry to a new accommodation, transferring his money to a bank account where he drained his funds for his own gain.
  • Williams stole £2,900 from Jerry's account and used his checkbook fraudulently, leaving Jerry's funds depleted.
  • Jerry discovered Williams' theft and reported him to the police, feeling suicidal after losing his life savings.
  • Williams used his psychic persona to manipulate elderly and grieving individuals, conning them out of large sums of money through cold and hot reading techniques.

31:03

Psychic friend exploits widow, steals inheritance

  • Mr. Sutton passed away in December 2004 due to a heart attack and a massive stroke, leaving his wife, Joyce, devastated.
  • Paul Williams, a friend who consoled Joyce after her husband's death, had sinister intentions from the start, gaining her trust and encouraging her to move to a hotel to cope with her loss.
  • Williams manipulated Joyce by claiming to have received messages from her deceased husband, leading her to find a will hidden in a grandfather clock, supposedly leaving half of the estate to Williams.
  • Williams managed to convince the bank to honor the forged will, allowing him to walk away with a significant sum of Joyce's money and also steal her checkbooks.
  • Upon Joyce's return from a holiday, she discovered the theft and contacted the police, leading to Williams' downfall.
  • Williams' greed led him to forge the will and steal from Joyce, ultimately resulting in his arrest and guilty plea for forgery and theft.
  • Williams used his role as a psychic to exploit vulnerable and grieving individuals, manipulating them for financial gain.
  • Despite Williams' claims of mental health issues and an extramarital affair as reasons for his crimes, he received an 18-month custodial sentence.
  • Joyce Sutton, one of Williams' victims, still believes in his psychic abilities but feels betrayed and has become reclusive after the ordeal.
  • Williams, despite serving only four months of his sentence, left his elderly victims without any hope of recovering their stolen money, highlighting the devastating impact of his deceit on their trust and well-being.

45:57

Deceitful man uses lies for luxury

  • Man deceived his wife with lies about owning a high-end Porsche
  • He utilized these lies to reside in an upscale residence near the canal
  • The man exploited his deceitful tactics to target elderly individuals who trusted his every statement
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