Megan Clarke was weeks away from one of the biggest days of her life – a wedding with the man of her dreams.
Having met her charming and wealthy aristocrat fiancée, Lord Bertie Underwood, in a bar in 2017, the couple were smitten and just a few months into their relationship, they decided to wed.
But after a number of discerning red flags, Megan realised two months before the ceremony that her future husband to be was not who he said he was.
The 27-year-old discovered Bertie Underwood didn’t exist and was just a number of aliases her partner had used to trick women just like her.
She realised Bertie’s real name was Robert Madejski, a serial fraudster who had a string of previous conman convictions.
To make things worse Megan also found out Robert had racked up £30,000 worth of debt in her name after setting up numerous credit cards with her details – a sum which she is still paying off.
Megan Clarke met her charming and wealthy aristocrat fiancée, Lord Bertie Underwood, in a bar in 2017
Megan and Berties were smitten and had been dating for almost a year when they decided to wed. She is pictured here trying on a wedding dress with her mother before the big day
Megan and Bertie (Robert) pictured smiling together during their whirlwind romance
Megan met Robert when he stumbled into a bar she was working in on the Isle of Wight in the summer of 2017.
Robert introduced himself as Lord Bertie Underwood, a wealthy aristocrat whose great great grandad had invented the Underwood typewriter.
The pair immediately hit it off, with Robert even sending flowers to work, before asking her on a date.
Robert took her to a fancy restaurant where they enjoyed a three course meal and began to open up to each other about their lives.
From then, their relationship progressed rapidly, as Robert showered her in lavish gifts from Harrods, took her to London for luxurious dates and frequently drove her round in his Bentley.
After just one month of seeing each other, Megan moved into Robert’s three-storey house on the Isle of Wight seafront.
Then on Christmas day, Robert proposed with a Cartier diamond ring.
Having been swept up in a whirlwind romance, Megan agreed to marry him, even being told that once wed, she would have the title of Lady.
But things soon began to unravel just as quickly as letters bearing the names of other people soon began arriving at their door.
But months later, Megan uncovered his true identity as Robert Madejski (pictured) and was met with a picture of his mugshot and news of his long history of fraud
Serial fraudster Robert had racked up £30,000 worth of debt in Megan’s name after setting up numerous credit cards with her details – a sum which she is still paying off
Robert initially told Megan they were addressed to the previous tenants, but she didn’t buy it.
She told the Sun: ‘I asked Bertie and his attitude changed instantly. He shut it down quite quickly and got very defensive and irate.
‘It’s definitely when I started questioning everything.’
Megan started investigating and after a search of his office, she found multiple cards belonging to the same names as those on the letters.
Megan googled each of the names – only to make the harrowing discovery that her husband-to-be was not who he said he was.
Megan uncovered his true identity as Robert Madejski and was met with a picture of his mugshot and news of his long history of fraud.
It emerged that none of what Robert had told her was true – he was not the heir to a wealthy estate nor was his job as a watchmaker.
Even the diamond engagement ring he got her was a fake.
She also realised Robert had been taking out credit cards in her name, which had left her £30,000 in debt – a huge bill that she is still paying off.
Megan reported Robert to the police, only for him to go on the run.
Megan (pictured) moved into Robert’s three-storey house on the Isle of Wight seafront just one month into their relationship. He asked her to marry him on Christmas day
Megan soon realised Bertie’s real name was Robert Madejski (pictured), a serial fraudster who had a string of previous conman convictions
She also posted on Facebook, telling people about Robert’s criminal background and how he was able to con here with numerous lies – in a bid to spread awareness about the serial fraudster in the hopes of getting him caught
But this again led to some more shocking truths.
People came forward about their encounters with Robert and revealed they had been seeing him during his relationship with Megan – not only was he a serial conman, he was also a serial cheat.
Megan told Metro: ‘Every single person he’s done this to and had sexual relationships with have been different.
‘There is absolutely no pattern in type, gender, or age, which makes me think there weren’t real feelings ever involved.’
Robert was eventually caught by police and handed a five year jail sentence for unrelated fraud charges.
However, he escaped from prison in May 2022 and is still on the run.
Megan recently revealed that he has been avoiding police by moving between multiple addresses in London and Henley on Thames.
She added that he has been posing as the Viscount of Norfolk and using the name Leopold Fitz-Allen Howard, while continuing to scam people out of thousands of pounds.
Sussex Police said in a statement: ‘We can confirm that Robert Madejski is still wanted by police. He has links to Hampshire, Kent, and Essex, after previously absconding from HMP Ford.
‘He is also known to have alias surnames; Doughty, Underwood and Monsoon.
‘Enquiries are ongoing. Anyone who sees him should call 999 and quote serial 1378 of 11/05/2022.’
Robert (pictured) was eventually caught by police and handed a five year jail sentence for unrelated fraud charges
Meanwhile, Megan has continued to pay off her debt, after the Police Action Fraud team were unable to help her out, using money from her photography business.
Reflecting on her relationship with Robert, Megan said while she remains ‘very much a happy and positive person’, she is a lot more wary of what people ‘are capable of’.
She admitted she still struggles to get her head around the ‘bizarre’ ordeal and heartbreakingly, questions whether she can ever commit to getting married again.
She told Metro: ‘Maybe I will feel differently if I am in love again one day. We will see what the future holds.’
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