Ferrari lifestyle of the fake love guru

With a Ferrari and a Bentley on the driveway of his Cheshire mansion, Niem Mohammed lived his life like a Premiership footballer.

But the father-of-four funded his lavish lifestyle by preying on some of the most vulnerable members of society.

Mohammed targeted the heartbroken, the sick and the desperate - telling them he could solve all of their worldly problems with his "divine powers".

Yesterday, the 41-year-old phoney, who advertised in glossy magazines and on TV, was convicted of swindling people out of thousands of pounds.

The Express & Star can also reveal today that Mohammed had previously been investigated by trading standards officers in Cheshire but the case fell through before trial as his victims were too ashamed to take to the stand.

He was also on the radar of several police forces around the country.

The faith healer used adverts promising a 100 per cent success rate within a week.He told his clients he could work miracles and help childless couples conceive, cure illnesses, fix any marriage problems and improve people's working lives.

For a starting fee of £50, Mohammed said he could solve problems through prayers and spells. He also told his victims to wear "sacred" jewellery and dissolve special scrolls in glasses of water and drink them.

But, during a week-long trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, jurors heard how the payment demands would quickly spiral out of control.

The fraudster was brought to justice after a couple from Smethwick complained to Sandwell Council and trading standards officers investigated.

Bob Charnley, deputy trading standards manager, said one of his officers posed as a man desperate to be reunited with his runaway daughter.

Mohammed said he could bring the pair back together within a week for £50 but soon asked for another £700.

"Once officers had got enough information, we obtained warrants for a number of addresses," Mr Charnley said.

"We found paperwork and computers that led us to other victims and further evidence."

He lived in a big house on the outskirts of Cheshire where all the footballers live.

"He had a Ferrari, a Bentley, plasma screen TVs and a safe filled with gold South African Krugerrands. This man is no different from the rogue traders who target elderly victims in their homes.."

The conman claimed to be a powerful faith health from a sacred part of India but was actually born and raised in Liverpool.

He also used an image of a wise-looking spiritual elder called Peer Syed Sahib on his website that was a far cry from his actual appearance.Jurors were also shown Mohammed's television advert which had been aired on the Asian TV channel Zee TV.

The advert, in Punjabi, was promoting Peer Syed Sahib's ability to solve people's personal problems.