A SMOOTH-TALKING sex offender has been banned from changing his name after he charmed his way into the life of women up and down the country including East Lancashire.

Serial love-rat Joshua Walmsley, 39, told women he had been in the SAS, escorted Princess Diana across minefields, held four degrees and spoke six different languages.

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He even claimed to have owned a Michelin-starred restaurant in Canada.

His lies were uncovered when he applied for a job at the Stanley House Hotel & Spa, Mellor — where he was asked to bake a tray of brownies. After lying about his professional prowess, he was only able to hand his employer a tray of charred remains.

Walmsley, who is formerly of Blackburn but who now lives in Prescot Road, Bury, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud, having presented a false CV to Stanley House Hotel, the Brickworks in Accrington and Name in Blackburn in a bid to gain employment.

He also admitted breaching the terms of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order after wooing two women in Lancashire and staying overnight at their homes while their children were present.

Walmsley homed in on the first woman when he met her at Blackburn Cathedral, and claimed he was to be the next dean. The woman was taken aback when Walmsley kissed her — but soon they started a relationship.

The second woman met Walmsley through dating site Badoo where his profile made claims he had a lengthy military career.

He met up with her in a children’s play area in Thornton Cleveleys and told her it was his birthday, before they went along to a restaurant in Lytham for their lunch. The woman picked up the bill — and loaned Walmsley £20 for a taxi home.

In each instance Walmsley moved fast and was almost living with the women within weeks.

However, when one woman overheard him giving the name Walmsley to a potential employer, after he had given her his name as Faulkner, she searched the internet and found a blog containing scores of entries by women taken in by Walmsley’s charms.

Recorder Nicholas Clarke QC, sentencing, said: “I have contemplated an order that would ensure he wore suitable identification either round his neck or whatever was required to inform people who he is and what his past is. At every turn he has lied about his identity, his job, his employment, he has changed his name in order to try to hide from his past.”

Walmsley spent five months on remand awaiting sentence for his offences. Recorder Clarke said if he jailed him, Walmsley would be eligible for release almost immediately.

Walmsley was handed a three-year community order with the condition he does not use any other name either face to face or by social media, or legally change his name.

He was ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and undergo 30 days’ rehabilitation activity.