Fraudster Mark Acklom, who posed as a rich Swiss banker and MI6 agent, has been ordered to pay £125,000 to his romance scam victim after five year batttle in court.

Acklom, 52, was jailed after tricking divorcee Carolyn Woods into handing over her entire life savings with false promises of marriage. He abandoned her penniless and suicidal before fleeing abroad. He previously admitted five counts of fraud against Carolyn Woods, from Gloucestershire, and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in 2019. For more than five years, prosecutors have been using Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) legislation in an attempt to recover the money stolen from Ms Woods.

On Friday, Bristol Crown Court heard that Acklom, who now lives in Spain with his wife and two children, has been ordered to pay £125,000 or face two years in prison if he does not comply.

It appeared that Acklom was listening to the hearing via videolink, but he did not speak or turn on his camera. Failure to comply with the confiscation order will result in a two-year custodial sentence.

Judge Martin Picton said: "I'm very grateful to the parties for being able to navigate a way to an agreed position so far as a resolution in these Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are concerned."

He added: "At the heart of the case is a victim who has lost a very, very great deal of money.

"Carolyn Woods was drawn into the web of fantasy and deceit."

The judge said that Acklom "was determined to bleed her dry" and exercised "quite extraordinary powers as a conman".

During his relationship with Ms Woods, Acklom claimed he was friends with celebrities including Nicky Clarke and Chris Evans, had spoken to Hillary Clinton and knew fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, and was involved with secret MI6 missions.

He duped her into lending him £299,564 of her life savings in 2012 for renovation work at a number of properties in Bath, Somerset, as well as to buy a Porsche and rent a Georgian manor in the city.

Ms Woods told Sky News that the "criminals must be laughing".

She said: "The whole thing has been a waste of time and only prolonged my distress for another six years."

In 1991, Acklom, then aged 16, received a four-year custodial sentence for a £466,000 mortgage fraud after he posed as a City stockbroker.

He also spent £11,000 after stealing his father's credit card, swindled a former teacher out of £13,000, and ran up a £34,000 bill with a private charter jet company.