Conman who targeted Brighton transvestite jailed

A man who targeted a Brighton transvestite through a dating website using the name “Slick Nick” before stealing his property has been jailed for five years.
Nicholas Rowell, 44, pleaded guilty to stealing jewellery, a laptop, mobile phone, camera and debit card from the man last June after contacting him through Gumtree.
He also befriended a man from Etchingham and visited him several times before stealing his car, cash, phone and laptop on 13 May, 2009.
In both cases he gained their confidence, staying overnight, and being given house keys, before disappearing and taking his hosts property with him.
He then targeted a country bed and breakfast in Horsham on 21 September. He paid to stay the night, waited for the owners to leave, and stole cash, jewellery and a grandmother clock.
He was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of theft and one of burglary at Preston Crown Court.
Nick Antjoule, Brighton LGBT Liaison officer from Sussex Police’s anti victimisation unit, said: “By working together across Sussex and with other police forces we were able to identify and arrest the offender.
“Hopefully this case will send a positive message that Sussex Police makes every effort to ensure that allegations of this kind are thoroughly investigated and offenders brought to justice. Equally important is the message it sends to people contemplating such crimes. You will not get away with it.
“Members of the LGBT community have traditionally been a target for this type of crime by offenders who thought they were soft targets. This conviction and others like it suggest otherwise but I would urge those using dating websites to keep their wits about them.”