A con man who raked in more than £200,000 through a worldwide holiday villa fraud has been jailed for four years.

Carlo Bulley, 38, formerly of Brunswick Place, Hove, advertised phantom holiday properties and took money by bank transfer or PayPal.

Wood Green Crown Court was told that Bulley’s victims were scattered around the globe and that he had fraudulently claimed money from at least 116 bookings between 2006 and September 2010.

Bulley was arrested in Cardiff and first appeared at Wood Green Crown Court in November last year, where he pleaded guilty to fraudulently advertising luxury holiday lets in Europe and the UK.

His girlfriend, Jaana Kettunen, 38, of Brunswick Place, Hove, pleaded guilty to money laundering last year.

She was sentenced to a community order and will carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.