PAUL GARLAND lived the high life of a football wheeler dealer while using his York neighbours' life savings as his personal money box.

York Crown Court heard that he got himself a £100,000-a-year job plus London accommodation paid for by his employers while his victims, Brian and Philippa Manley, struggled to keep the roof over their heads in Balfour Way, Strensall.

But the conman's life of Riley came to an abrupt end when he was jailed for two-and-a-half years for systematically cheating the Manleys out of £164,000 - stripping them of their life savings.He claimed he was financing transfer deals with top-flight football clubs including Liverpool, Dundee United, Sunderland, Manchester City and QPR.

"You have been greedy - now you must pay," the Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman told him.

"I regard what you did as quite despicable. You regarded the Manleys as your own private money box and you were quite ruthless in taking them to the cleaners."

In addition to having to repay every last penny to the Manleys, Garland now also faces confiscation of his assets by the state. He was part of an attempt to refinance Leeds United last year.

The Strensall couple believe they will never see their money again and wish Garland had got a longer sentence.

"We have got a life sentence," said Mrs Manley. "We were investing at the time and we would have made it by now, the way property was going up."

They saw a Porsche and a top-of-the-range Land Rover at Garland's house when he was their next-door neighbour

Garland, 39, formerly of Park Road, Hale, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to 11 charges of deception.

He appeared in court with crutches, but the court heard no mention of why he needed them, and the Manleys said they saw him walking without them shortly before the hearing.

John Edwards, prosecuting, said Garland befriended the Manleys in 2000 and duped them into handing over money through lies that it would be invested in Lloyds underwriters Houlder Insurance Services Ltd and another company. At one stage, he claimed they would get a 30 per cent return in 12 months.

Mr Edwards said that unbeknown to the Manleys, he was a bankrupt at the time. He had repaid £35,000, but still owes the Manleys £129,000.

Mr Manley said the £35,000 had gone straight to his solicitors, to whom the couple owed £42,000.

The conman's barrister, Jerome Lynch QC, said Garland had told the Manleys about his bankruptcy and had always honestly believed he could repay the money through his interests in Finance For Sport Worldwide Ltd and the consortium that took over Leeds United.

Mr Lynch said Garland spent the Manleys' money on entertaining clients for his firm at business lunches, in London clubs and on trips abroad.

But the judge said: "That stretches my credulity to the limit".

He believed a probation officer who said Garland had spent the money on "exceptional spending on luxurious goods and services".

Mr Manley said: "It has just been hell, the worst years of our lives. He was just so callous. He planned it and orchestrated it.

"We believed him because we thought he was a genuine guy," Mr Manley said. "Chairmen of football clubs believed him. When it comes to conmen, he is pretty much up there. He is an artist."

:: 'I have got a £100,000 job'

WHAT Garland told the judge through his barrister:

"I have a £100,000 job including London accommodation all paid-for with Associated Global Interests, an offshore commodities broker based in the West Indies.

"My new employers are buying a home for me, my wife and my children.

"They have also given me shares worth tens of thousands of pounds in an American company which I want to sell to repay the Manleys.

"I spent the Manleys' money on business expenses, including entertaining clients in London clubs and abroad.

"I told the Manleys I was a bankrupt and that is why I was not a director of Finance for Sport Worldwide Ltd.

"Their problems have caused me great pain and I honestly want to repay all the money I took from them."

His friend, Jim Connor, claimed under oath:

"I was a director of Dundee Football Club from 1998 to 2003. I got to know Garland through a deal he was arranging for the club. It folded through lack of finance."

The Manleys' dark financial future after Garland means:

Philippa Manley, 45, could not afford to travel to Malta for her mother's funeral.

They nearly lost their house and have had to rearrange their mortgage so that they now face repayments until printer Brian is 75 - in 25 years' time.

They cannot help their children pay for further education.

They faced solicitors fees of £42,000.

Updated: 09:11 Saturday, January 28, 2006