A serial predator who posed as a terminally ill man on dating apps has admitted to a horrifying campaign of sexual, financial, and emotional abuse against nearly 20 women.
A Web of Lies and Deception
Ryan McVeigh, aged 31, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to a total of 38 charges involving 17 different women between 2023 and 2024. Using a deluge of fake names on platforms like Tinder and Bumble, he specifically targeted vulnerable individuals, many of whom had escaped abusive relationships, lost jobs, or were recovering from previous scams.
Prosecutor Michael Macintosh told the court that McVeigh's offending centred on the systematic abuse of two primary victims, though his crimes impacted many more. "Each was induced into believing they had formed a relationship with someone over the internet," said Mr Macintosh. "The truth was they were communicating with McVeigh using a false identity."
Sinister Control and Coercion
The court heard how McVeigh manipulated his first victim, whom he met on Tinder in May 2023 using the alias Gary Stephenson. After learning of her money troubles, he offered to help but instead used her bank details to gamble online. He then engineered a situation where he, posing as a 'friend' named Paul Justin, moved into her home.
The abuse escalated when McVeigh, as Stephenson, pressured the woman into having sex with 'Paul Justin' and filming it, claiming it would 'turn him on'. He promised an in-person meeting as a reward. This pattern of sexual coercion and filming continued for months, with the victim eventually realising she had lost between £10,000 and £18,000.
Despite being arrested and bailed in November 2023 for offences against this woman, McVeigh immediately targeted another victim on Bumble in January 2024, this time as 'Reece Fletcher'. He conned her out of £20,000, convincing her to empty her accounts and take out credit cards.
The Ultimate Deceit: A Fake Cancer Diagnosis
In his most callous act of manipulation, McVeigh—while posing as Paul Justin—told this second victim he was dying from terminal cancer. He perpetuated this lie by visiting a hospital and discussing his fake diagnosis with a Macmillan Cancer Support nurse, touring a hospice, and even taking her to a funeral director.
"He also took the woman to a funeral directors and to a cemetery all on the pretext that only had months to live," Mr Macintosh stated. This fabricated illness made it incredibly difficult for the victim to challenge him. She believes she was defrauded of around £38,000, plus loans from relatives, and fears losing her home.
A large-scale police investigation uncovered 15 additional women who had been preyed upon by McVeigh online, suffering lies, threats, and intimidation, and losing thousands of pounds in total.
Justice Served as Predator Awaits Sentence
McVeigh, now behind bars, will be sentenced in the New Year after Lady Drummond deferred for reports. The judge told him, "The scale of your deception, coercion and abuse which you inflicted is staggering."
Impact statements from victims describe being placed in "constant fear and financial ruin." McVeigh's guilty pleas include charges of rape against the two main victims and multiple frauds. His complex scheme, using separate online and in-person personas to coerce money and sexual activity, has left a trail of profound trauma.
