Police officer ‘took money from girlfriends to feed gambling habit’

Lewis Rollins, 28, convinced one of the women to help him secure a loan from the Met Police and took her savings to cover his rent, it is said.

She stayed with him despite incidents of “rage”, controlling jealously including monitoring her phone and two incidents of violence when she says she was “slammed” against a wall and pushed into the road, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Jurors heard Rollins dated two of the women simultaneously and took money from both of them before striking up a relationship with a third woman, who took out a £4,000 loan to help with his spiralling debts.

In texts, Rollins told one of the women there was “no-one in the police like me – I’m lazy, not hard-working, all I care about is drinking and gambling”.

The Fareham man, who was a Pc in the Met’s central west command unit, is now on trial accused of coercive or controlling behaviour, fraud and damaging property.

“The financial problems Mr Rollins experienced was largely due to a gambling habit,” said prosecutor Rekha Kodikara.

“Mr Rollins turns to these three women to help fund him and his living expenses, given the fact he has spent money on his gambling habit.”

The court heard Dr Georgia Miller met Rollins in April 2022 on dating app Bumble and she tried to help him with his financial woes and gambling problem in the early stages of their relationship.

Rollins told Dr Miller that he was struggling to pay his rent, but on the same day he had spent £1,000 gambling, said the prosecutor.

She agreed to help him manage his finances and assist with a loan application to the Met Police, but “unknown to her he was in fact having a relationship with another woman”, said Ms Kodikara.

Rollins had met Alisha Steeds in February 2022 and is said to have unsuccessfully tried to persuade her to take out a loan of £4,000 on his behalf, but she had given him £1,500 in May 2022 to cover his rent.

Ms Kodikara said Rollins was “deeply insecure” in his relationship with Dr Miller and he is accused of attacking her in a Birmingham hotel room in July 2022 when he thought she had been texting an ex-boyfriend.

The prosecutor said: “He was in a rage. He started shouting at her in the hotel room and started pulling his own hair. He became quite volatile.”

She said later that evening “things turned ugly” when Rollins is accused of pushing Dr Miller off the bed, “slamming” her against a wall, and repeatedly calling her a “slag”.

Jurors heard Dr Miller agreed not to report Rollins to the police in order to preserve his career and he later texted her to say: “How do we move past what I said? How do we move past you looked me in the eye and lied to me? How do we move past I beat you up?”

Ms Kodikara said Rollins was controlling in the relationship by repeatedly threatening to kill himself, creating an “emotional burden” on her.

Dr Miller found out about Ms Steeds as she pursued Rollins for repayment of the loaned rent money and Dr Miller agreed to transfer more than half of the £1,500 that was owed.

But it is said Rollins gave Dr Miller his own bank account details instead of Ms Steeds’, so she was “duped” into transferring £750 to him instead.

The court heard Rollins “pushed Dr Miller into the road” and broke her necklace during a row on a night-out in August 2022, but they stayed together and he ended up moving in with her the following month when he ran out of money to pay his rent.

However the relationship ended in December 2022 when Dr Miller found out he had gone on a date with another woman.

In April 2023, he met trainee solicitor Emily Busby on a dating app and she agreed to help him as he set up a football team to raise awareness of gambling problems.

“He called it a gambling addiction, the prosecution says it’s a habit,” said Ms Kodikara.

Ms Busby bought football boots for Rollins, organised posters and design logos for the match, and searched for a kit, the court heard.

Jurors heard Ms Busby gave Rollins £800 to pay the deposit on his accommodation after he “gambled away” money he had been given by his parents, and she also let him use her car, allegedly landing her with a series of parking fines and speeding tickets.

In December 2023, she took out a £4,000 loan for Rollins, giving £2,500 of the money to the PC while using the rest to pay off her own debts.

“(He) thought he was entitled to the loan she took out – he saw it as his money,” said Ms Kodikara.

The court heard she believed they were best friends and had been intimate, but she reported him to police after he started dating another woman, tried to cut off contact with her and then pushed her over when she confronted him.

Ms Kodikara said Rollins went on holiday to York with Ms Steeds, he went to Spain with Dr Miller and he took trips to Seville and Germany with Ms Busby which were “largely paid for by her”.

“He managed to get a great deal from these relationships,” she added.

Rollins denies two charges of controlling or coercive behaviour, damaging property and three counts of fraud.

The trial continues.