A FRAUDSTER has admitted conning his friend out of millions of pounds by pretending investments had been a roaring success.

Christopher Angus edited screenshots of bank accounts to make it look like he had made £9 million in profit from cash sent to him by his friend in the Philippines.

In reality, he only had £1.18 to his name.

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The 39-year-old appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday charged with one count of fraud by false representation.

Standing in the dock, Angus, of Kingston Road in North Oxford, bowed his head and closed his eyes as he told the judge he was guilty.

Oxford Mail:

Wearing a smart suit, he admitted taking an initial lump sum of £100,000 from his friend and pretending it had made a big return.

When he lied, his friend sent him more cash – and in the end, lost a total of £2,243,000.

At court, prosecution lawyer Julian Lynch said: “During that period, Mr Angus protested that [the monies] were being invested and making a good return.

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“In fact, these investments were not making any money at all and were, in fact, losing money.

“He was going so far as to take screenshots and edit them to make it look like they were growing return.

“And because [the victim] thought they were growing return, he kept sending money.

Oxford Mail:

Stock image of the Philippines. AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana

“By the time you get to September 2017 the balance was something of £9,950,000 when in fact the real balance of the account was actually £1.18.

“He lost the £2 million he had invested.”

Though he lost the huge amount of cash, the prosecution claimed that Angus had not actually made any money himself.

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Instead, they said, he was ‘bankrupt’.

Mr Lynch continued: “He has made a small repayment, albeit a drop in the ocean, of £10,000.”

Angus was charged with possession of cannabis in July 2018, but otherwise has had a clean criminal record until now.

Mr Lynch explained: “The crown say the defendant didn’t make any gain but also didn’t try to make any gain. The crown see this as a breach of responsibility.”

Oxford Mail:

Stock image of the Philippines. AP Photo/Aaron Favila

Judge Nigel Daly, hearing the case at Oxford Crown Court, added: “And trust.”

Mr Lynch continued: “And trust, through the false representations made.”

Angus could now face up to eight years in prison.

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If all goes to plan, he will be sentenced at the same court on February 28.

Until then, he was allowed out on conditional bail – after his defence lawyer James Liley told the judge he needed the time ‘to sort out his house’ that he shares with his girlfriend.

Before his sentencing Angus cannot make any arrangements to leave Oxfordshire.

The judge said he was allowed to ‘buy a bus ticket’ but needs to surrender his passport – because he recently switched from South African citizenship to British.

He works from home, but cannot leave the house from 8pm until 6am every day.

If he does not follow his bail conditions, he will be put straight in prison until his sentencing.