CHIPPENHAM NEWS: A GIRLFRIEND conned out of more than £1,000 by her lover paid for him to go to Mauritius where he met his new fianc.

Nina Halliday, 20, was plunged into debt by her boyfriend of two years, Ben Munns, 24, of Villiers Close, Chippenham, who secretly opened up credit card and mobile phone accounts in her name.

Miss Halliday, of School Walk, Chippenham, woke up at Munns' house one morning in October and started cleaning the kitchen when she found a pile of letters addressed to her.

When she opened them she was shocked to discover he had run-up £1,000 on an Egg credit card in her name, and had opened three Vodafone mobile phone contracts, also in her name.

Despite splitting from Munns, pictured right, Miss Halliday went on to pay for him to go to Mauritius in November, where he met another woman who he now plans to marry.

Speaking to the Chippenham News, she said: "We were planning to go away for his friend's wedding and I couldn't afford for both of us to go. So he went and now he is engaged to a girl he met out there."

Miss Halliday, who lives at home with her parents, said the ordeal could not have come at a worse time, as her parents had just split up and one of her grandparents had died.

"If I'm bitter towards Ben it's because he treated me badly when I needed him most," she said.

When Miss Halliday discovered the debts she confronted Munns and went through his wallet.

She said: "He just sat there. I genuinely thought he was sorry at that point.

"He was all teary and said he didn't know what to do. He's not a bad person. I think he was crying out for help.

"He owed me loads. He would borrow money off loads of people but never be able to pay it back.

"But he was such a fun guy to be around and it is such a shame because we were really good mates."

Munns had been running up the debts for three months before Miss Halliday realised.

She said: "That means he would have

bought my birthday present with it. He kept going on about how expensive it was but I must have bought it myself."

Munns pleaded guilty to seven counts of obtaining property and money transfers by deception at Chippenham magistrates' court on Thursday.

Michele Hewitt, prosecuting, said Munns had applied for the credit card on the Internet, forged Miss Halliday's signature and then run up £1,000 debt.

He had set up Vodafone contracts at KJC Mobile Phones Ltd in Chippenham, where he worked as a salesman at the time, setting up direct debit payments through Miss Halliday's current account.

Tim Hammick, defending, said: "All I can guess is that like many young people these days they want everything now instead of having to save up and get it."

He said it was also clear Miss Halliday had rarely looked at her bank account because she failed to notice the debts for so long.

The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports until June 17. Munns was released on unconditional bail.

Miss Halliday plans to move away from Chippenham to become a holiday rep in Tenerife.