A FRAUDSTER who duped two Derbyshire women out of £63,000 by telling them she needed cash to pay for cancer treatment has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Joann Wood used gay and lesbian internet chatrooms to meet women and tell them she was terminally ill with cancer of the optic nerve. Among her victims was Cath Wheldon, of Melbourne, who said she fell in love with Wood and handed over her life savings of £53,000.

Wood told Miss Wheldon she would pay her back when she sold a holiday home. Miss Wheldon said: "My mortgage was practically paid off, but I have had to re-mortgage the cottage and I am back to full-time work as a driver. I fell in love with the woman and I trusted her."

One of Miss Wheldon's friends, from Belper, was also befriended by Wood and handed over £10,000.