Another fall out from the Astana affair...... false hope.....
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Michael Matts, 34, described as a Walter Mitty character, lied to his family, friends and work colleagues about his disease to impress them, grab the limelight and to bring "glory" to his life, it was said.
He went as far as to allow friends to give him lifts to the hospital for radiotherapy and persuaded his fiancée with whom he now has two children to bring forward their wedding because of his illness.
During the day he even excused himself from the ceremony on several occasions because he said he was tired by the disease.
But all the time there was nothing wrong with him and he was using his sick leave to build up a cycling business.
However his fantasy world came crashing down this week after he was jailed for 12 months for the series of deceptions and frauds.
Matts has been divorced by his 30-year-old wife Emma, who is said to be "devastated" and is refusing to let him see their children.
Her father, John Heighton, 78, said afterwards: "He's a conniving cheating liar and a sick fantasist. He's put my family through hell."
Leicester Crown Court heard that Matts hero worshipped Lance Armstrong, the American cyclist who successfully fought testicular cancer and came back to win a record number of Tour De France races.
He used the world famous cyclist, Lance Armstrong, as a "template" to bolster his lies about having cancer.
Matts, who was perfectly healthy, told a stream of attention seeking lies to grab the limelight, gain sympathy and to impress.
Born in Leicester, he had cycled in his youth, but had not represented Great Britain, or toured Spain and France, as he claimed.
When he joined the Leicestershire Police in 2001, he told colleagues he was a cancer-sufferer in remission and Armstrong was his inspiration, said Matthew Lowe, prosecuting.
He said Matts appeared to have used his hero's well documented genuine suffering as "a template" to copy the symptoms and treatment.
Mr Lowe said he told "elaborate lies" about his illness and treatment to the force's human resources department, claiming to need daily blood tests and regular MRI scans.
He also took time off for depression while working in the serious and dangerous offenders unit at Leicester's Tigers Road Police Station, before his arrest in January 2008.
The court heard he set up a cycle shop told his employee he was an ex-professional cyclist and was in remission from cancer.
Matts, claiming to be a rich businessman, offered to sponsor an 18-strong professional Belgian cycle team with six paid staff. He faked documents to show his wealth and left two Belgian businessmen with £500,000 debts.
Attempts by the firm's bosses to contact him to discuss it were met with excuses about his cancer.
Matts resigned from the police two months after his arrest.
He tricked his wife, family, colleagues and friends who have been left shocked and appalled by his duplicity.
Mr Heighton, of Wigston, Leics, said: "We're glad he went to prison, but it should have been for longer. We've all been devastated.
"You don't doubt people until you have a reason to, but virtually everything he told us was a sham. At his wedding he even fooled my wife, who's a nurse.
"The wedding, to our daughter, had to be brought forward because of his so-called cancer. During the wedding meal he kept leaving, saying he was going to throw up, because of the illness.
"He'd always told us that his father, who we met at the wedding, wasn't his real father, but a friend of his mother's. But that was also a pack of lies.
"He's not only conned us, but he's conned the police and goodness knows how many others. We feel terribly let down. Our daughter wants nothing more to do with him and neither do we.
"They were married for five years and have two small children, now aged one-and-a-half years and three. When he was arrested our daughter arrived home to see the police there and initially feared they were going to break the news he'd died from his illness.
"It's only today, in court, we've discovered the full extent of what he's done."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...ong-fan-faked-cancer-to-marry-girlfriend.html
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