The former husband of a Black Country woman who was jailed for fraud after she forged his signature to borrow money against the family’s home, has spoken for the first time of the distress he suffered.

Kevin Love said ex-wife Carla “bled me dry” as she spent his money on enjoying herself rather than paying the household bills.

Mr Love reported her to the police after she borrowed about £60,000 – most of which she obtained by using her husband’s name.

She was  jailed for 20 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court  for making a false instrument and obtaining property by deception.

Former spouse Kevin told the Express & Star the house had since been repossessed because he was unable to afford the monthly mortgage repayments.
Struggled

Ex-wife Carla, aged 37, had taken out two secured loans from finance company Black Horse, of £19,000 and £22,500, but ran up debts of £55,400 when she struggled with the payments on the house in Lichfield Road, New Invention.

She had also obtained credit worth about £4,000 using the names of her parents Lorraine Bateman and Dave Johnson and several family friends to order goods, such as shoes and appliances, from catalogues and online.

Mr Love, 54, who is now staying with friends, said: “The sentence Carla got wasn’t enough for the distress and devastation she has caused to so many people. She certainly pulled the wool over my eyes.

“It wasn’t so much me, but the children have now been left without a home.

“She is a crook. We were together 14 years, but the only good thing to come from the marriage was our son. I wish I had never laid eyes on Carla.”

The sales assistant, originally from Ashmore Park, Wednesfield, already had three children from previous relationships when they met, but never introduced her eldest children Cassie and Daniel, aged in their 20s, to him. Once a teenaged mother, she kept their existence from him until after they had married.

Mr Love raised her youngest daughter Sarah, now 19, as his own and the couple had a son Zach, aged 14, together.

The engineer said: “Carla lived a double life. I was a soft touch as I’m quite easy going. I worked away from home a lot and she sorted out the bills and bank statements, or at least I thought she did. If you can’t trust your wife, who can you trust?

“But now I’ve found out she was really have a good time enjoying herself, gambling and getting her hair done and spending my money, instead of paying the household bills. I have probably paid about £7,000 for other debts she ran up with other finance companies.

“She loved gambling was mad about bingo and mad about casinos. She would lose thousands playing internet games. Zach once told me she had lost £3,000 in just one afternoon, but I just dismissed it. I thought he had misunderstood.

“It was the same with family and friends. People used to make remarks about her spending, but I brushed it off as idle gossip.

“Towards the end I knew something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Eventually I asked her what was going on and she said she wanted to separate. She told her friends she wanted a younger man.”

After the couple split in 2007 the extent of her wrongdoing came to light when Mr Love found the loan repayment books. He went to the police and following an investigation she was arrested.

Mr Love is now due to be rehoused by Walsall Housing Group. He said the family had planned to sell the house and use some of the money to buy a narrowboat instead.

“All this time she was laughing at me behind my back because she knew there was no equity left in the property. She had bled me dry and this was only half of the story.

“I am starting to get my life back on track. I’ve lost weight, but the important thing is to ensure Zach has a stable home,” he added.
Carla set up home in Torquay, Devon, with a new partner after the break-up.

Mr Love has two daughters Erin, aged 31, and Carina, aged 22, from his first marriage.

He has now divorced Carla who pleaded guilty to a total of 10 charges relating to obtaining property by deception, and of making a false instrument in relation to forged loan applications between 2003 and 2007.

A further 21 similar offences were taken into account by the court.

At the sentencing just over a week ago, Recorder Miss Abigail Nixon told Carla she must serve half of the sentence in prison and half in the community.