An individual formerly employed as a police officer has been given a sentence for mistreating and deceiving multiple girlfriends to fund his gambling addiction. Lewis Rollins, a former police constable in the Metropolitan Police’s Central West Command Unit, exploited women he met on dating applications to support his uncontrollable betting behavior.
Rollins, 29, manipulated women into giving him substantial sums of money to address his escalating debts while concealing his true financial state. Court proceedings at Southwark Crown Court revealed that Rollins simultaneously dated two women and obtained money from both of them. Subsequently, he initiated a relationship with a third woman who was persuaded to secure a £4,000 loan to assist in settling Rollins’ debts.
Having been found guilty by a jury of two counts of coercive or controlling behavior and three fraud charges, Rollins was also convicted in a separate trial of assaulting a fourth woman who intervened to protect her flatmate, a person he was dating. Testifying against Rollins, Dr. Georgia Miller recounted instances of his aggressive outbursts, name-calling, violent actions, and controlling behavior, including monitoring her phone.
In one incident in July 2022, Rollins physically assaulted Dr. Miller in a hotel room in Birmingham due to suspicions of her communication with an ex-boyfriend. Dr. Miller recounted being thrown out of bed and forcefully pushed against a wall. Financial evidence presented to the jury displayed transactions where Dr. Miller transferred over £1,000 to Rollins under his insistence to repay debts, with subsequent occurrences of her covering his rent expenses.
Rollins, who had been involved with another woman, Alisha Steeds, at the time, received financial support from Steeds to cover his rent. Rollins admitted to intending to reimburse Steeds, but instead, he squandered the money through gambling. Trainee solicitor Emily Busby also fell victim to Rollins, lending him money after feeling empathy towards him. Busby provided financial assistance to Rollins for his accommodation deposit after he wasted money received from his parents on gambling activities.
In December 2023, Busby secured a £4,000 loan for Rollins, part of which was given to him while the remainder was utilized to settle her debts. During sentencing, Busby expressed the detrimental impact of Rollins’ actions, resulting in the depletion of her savings and ongoing indebtedness, affecting her financial and emotional well-being.
Rollins, now 29, faced criticism from Judge Christopher Hehir for his lack of remorse and immature behavior towards his victims. The judge highlighted Rollins’ manipulative conduct towards Dr. Miller and Busby, emphasizing the devastating consequences of his actions. Despite Rollins’ period of abstinence from gambling, he received an 18-month community order and a requirement to undergo 30 rehabilitation activity days. Additionally, a compensation order was issued for Rollins to repay £3,132.50 to Busby within six months.