A woman who was desperate to be reunited with her ex-boyfriend and wanted to heal a deep family rift handed over tens of thousands of pounds to a phoney faith healer, a court heard.

The young woman broke down in tears as she told the jury she had taken out banks loans, borrowed from her friends and even stolen from her parents to pay Niem Mohammed.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday Mohammed wore spiritual rob-es and headgear as part of his presentation as a holy man, and used the alias Peer Sayed Sahib and used a pict­ure on his website of a much older, wiser-looking healer.

He promised people up and down the country, including a number in the Sandwell area, that he could fix any love, work or health problem within a week, the jury was told.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took out loans of £4,000 and £7,000 and stole between £6-7,000 from her parents to pay for 41-year-old Mohammed’s services, the court heard.

She told the jury she thought it was a “small price to pay for a lifetime of happiness”.

“He was my lifeline,” she said. “The only one I could turn to. He said he had magical gifts that belonged to his ancestors and he was from a sacred part of India. I thought he was a religious and pious person.

“He said he would never pocket the money and that God had commissioned him to do this work.”

The witness said whenever she would confront Mohammed about the fact nothing was happening, he would comfort and reassure her and encourage her to send more money for further prayers and spells.

Mohammed, of Altrincham Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, denies 15 charges of fraud, blackmail, obtaining property by deception and procurring the execution of valuable security by deception.

The trial continues.