A BOURNEMOUTH car enthusiast was hospitalised after buying bogus insurance from a fraudster who has now been jailed.

Vicky Small, who suffers from a serious heart condition, was treated for chest pains after she learned she had been duped by Jaymz William Charlton Clarke-Tomlinson - or as she knew him, John Langford.

The conman, who was jailed for four years at Southampton Crown Court today, tricked more than 150 drivers around the country into parting with a total of around £60,000 between November 2012 and December 2013.

Clarke-Tomlinson, 33, befriended many of his victims before targeting them with cheap deals, money back guarantees and discounts while posing as a legitimate broker for 'Personal Touch Insurance'.

Using several aliases, he then persuaded them to pay straight into a bank account and provided them with a policy certificate.

Ms Small, 40, paid him £266 to insure her Subaru Impreza and subsequently recommended him to friends and family, and she even drove during the 2013 Cannonball GT Tunnel Run with a large Personal Touch Insurance sticker on her car.

She said: "I could not sleep and was hospitalised due to the stress this put on my heart.

"I was driving around uninsured, it does not bear thinking about what would have happened if I have had an accident and injured somebody.

"I found out I was uninsured just before Christmas 2013 - I had saved up £400 for food and presents but ended up having to use that money to buy a legitimate car insurance.

"I have lost friends over this, people have distanced themselves from me. I do not trust my own judgement anymore, it has knocked my confidence."

Eventually Clarke-Tomlinson's victims realised their vehicles were not showing up as insured on the Motor Insurance Database, and after an investigation by Action Fraud and the City of London Police, he was arrested in November 2014.

The defendant, of Shepherds Row, Andover, admitted 18 counts of fraud by false representation and one of forgery.

City of London Police Detective Constable Gary Kearley said: "Clarke-Tomlinson went to extraordinary lengths to sell his bogus car insurance, even befriending many of his victims to target them and their loved ones.

"He left them unknowingly out on the roads without valid cover, exposing them to great risks including having to pick up the bill for any damage or injuries they caused in a crash, getting their vehicle seized by police, fines, penalties and a criminal record."

If you suspect you are a victim of fraud contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or call Cheatline anonymously on 0800 422 0421.