A callous scammer has been jailed for conning holidaymakers out of almost £300,000. Shelley Simpson, 46, of Westwood Road, Portsmouth, pretended to make holiday and event bookings through her business Sphere Events Limited.
Multiple victims were left having to pay much more than they originally forked out to rescue their trips or lose their money altogether. Simpson was given an immediate 33-month custodial sentence at Portsmouth Crown Court after she pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
The court heard that Simpson relied on customers paying in full upfront for what they believed were discounted holidays. In reality, these discounts did not exist, and payments taken from new customers were used to cover other debts and her personal spending, including private school fees.
