Police called in after vicar handed life savings to husband 55 years his junior

A vicar who handed his life savings over to a 24-year-old male model has revealed police were called in to investigate the situation.

Rev Philip Clements married Romanian national Florin Marin in April 2017, but the relationship lasted only a couple of months.

The marriage ended just days after Mr Clements handed over his £100,000 city centre flat in Bucharest.

The average wage in Romania is £410 ($485) per month, making the value of the apartment equivalent to 20 years work.

Bucharest city centre, Romania (Getty)

Mr Clements confessed he “lost everything” in the marriage after selling his Kent home to fund his husband’s lifestyle on the continent.

Speaking to Mail Online, Mr Clements revealed that he splashed so much money on his new lover, 55 years his junior, that Barclays bank was forced to freeze his accounts.

The bank then called police in to investigate the situation after concern was raised about the vast transactions.

Mr Clements told officers that there were no issues, and he had made the decision to move to Romania with his new-found love.

The devout Christian is now destitute, relying on friends for a roof over his head.

Philip Clements and Florin Marin


While the almost octogenarian struggles to rebuild his life, his ex-partner has found a new, wealthier boyfriend.

Marin broke his silence to reveal he is now dating wealthy dad-of-one Jeronimo Jesus de Vega, 48.

He has even boasted of late-night partying and splashing his cash with the new businessman boyfriend.

Florin admitted he “likes the money” de Vega can provide, boasting: “He is more wealthy than Philip”.

Speaking to local media in Romania, he said: “Philip knows, I told him I found someone. He said that he would not want to keep in touch with me.”

Philip Clements-Marin and Florin Marin-Clements

He explained: “He has some business, he is more wealthy than Philip.

“He knows very well that I like the money. I told him all about my husband.”

The model added that he was “pleasantly surprised” when he first came across de Vega on Facebook.

De Vega asked to pay for plane tickets to meet face-to-face and waited at the airport with white roses”.

“After that, we went to a gay club in Alicante, drank and went to his house and slept together”.

Mr Clements, now back in Kent, is believed to be devastated by the news, which his husband had not told him.

He told MailOnline he felt “foolish” for losing everything to the 24-year-old.

The retired vicar has been left heartbroken and homeless since the marriage ended.

Their relationship broke down following a blazing argument over Marin’s constant clubbing.

He was regularly spending nights away from the marital home partying with friends, which the reverend was unable to join due to struggling with walking long distances.

Mr Clements has now returned to the UK almost penniless and is relying on friends for somewhere to stay.

He told The Sun: “We used to go out to the cinema and shopping. He makes me laugh. We’d laugh a lot.

“I came over to England for some medical appointments for a fortnight in late August. When I returned, we had a disagreement.”

Mr Clements added: “I was very lonely, not knowing the language or having any friends.

“Florin would spend a lot of time going out. He used to go to bed very late, sometimes 5am in the morning having been out nightclubbing or watching films.

“He said I wasn’t allowed to go clubbing. It wasn’t for old people. In my heart I didn’t accept it but I trusted him.”

Mr Clements returned to Britain in September, after less than five months of marriage.

He says he handed over the flat to Florin to give him “security when I die”.