A fraudster who posed as a doctor to con patients out of £160,000 falsely claimed he was responsible for the health of the Queen, a court heard.
Joseph Valadakis, 48, allegedly charged people suffering from anxiety up to £100 an hour for treatment including ‘whale sperm’ massages and bizarre creams.
Prosecutors say he told victims he had been a guest at a Royal wedding and claimed he could “grow organs from stem cells for the Royal family”.
His treatments included a cream made from the excrement of snails fed on lemon grass and clay dug from archaeological sites where dinosaurs had been found.
Valadakis, who claimed to have treated Liz Hurley and Jackie Collins, conned just under £100,000 from one couple and £60,000 from another man.
Ann Evans, prosecuting, told a jury: “He called himself a doctor - he has no medical qualifications - and under this guise not only took thousands of pounds in fees off these people.
“He also carried out highly questionable procedures that they will tell you they would never have consented to if they had known the truth about him.”
Valadakis allegedly set up a website falsely claiming he had a PhD and was a specialist in the field of virus research.
Using the name Joseph Hoffman, he is said to have told victims he had access to special “government machines” which could detect cancer.
He also claimed to have been placed on standby while Nelson Mandela was in hospital.
Mrs Evans added: “He said he had developed a treatment called Hoffman’s body trauma treatment which would eliminate trauma.
“He made other elaborate claims including telling them that he was head of research at University College Hospital London, he was a professor and directly responsible for the health of the Queen.
“He said he had a PHD in quantum physics and had obtained his degree at Cambridge University.”
She said the hospital confirmed the defendant had never worked there and Cambridge University said he had never studied there.
St Albans Crown Court heard Valadakis conned £97,520 out of Phillip Randerson, managing director at a recruitment company, and his wife Emma.
He allegedly said the couple had been added to a special government list of people he was treating and ask them to give regular samples of blood, urine, faeces, sweat and hair.
Mrs Evans said: “It seems at this point the Randersons were completely taken in by him.
“He explained he had access to special government machines and these would pick up and identify cancers and other illnesses from samples he was collecting from them.
“He said only a very limited number of people had access to these machines, including the Queen and Prince Phillip.
“However gullible you may think this couple are, they say they would never have paid him any money or consented to any treatment if the claims he had made were not completely true.
“They talk about feeling betrayed saying this man preyed on their insecurities.”
Valadakis is said to have told another victim Sarah Heydinger that he would be able to “sort” her brain out with help from a team of government psychiatrists.
Mrs Evans said: “He told her that only the Royal Family, civil servants and key government officials were entitled to this help.”
The prosecutor then told the court how another man - Christopher Hastings - visited Valadakis 100 times paying him £100 an hour.
In total he handed over £60,000.
Mrs Evans said: “He was also given snail treatment at a cost of £1400 each plus an extra £200-£400 for the oils.
“He had samples of sweat taken from under his arms which resulted in Mr Valadakis telling him he needed a body massage with whale sperm which cost a further £2000.”
When Valadakis was arrested at his home in Tottenham, North London, in September 2013 over £54,000 in cash was found at the property.
He denies three counts of fraud and the trial continues.