18 April 2008

Massive holiday fraud trial ends in jail terms

Four people behind a fraudulent Ã&#pound;6 million travel scam offering bogus breaks have been jailed for up to seven years.

An estimated 20,000 people who booked online or via TV text services are thought to have been duped.

Many arrived at airports to find their flights did not exist while others arrived in their destination to find there was no hotel booking, the BBC reported.

A total of 26 Ã¢â¬ËœfrontÃ¢â¬â¢ operations were uncovered, although only five involving around Ã&#pound;6 million plus losses were featured in the lengthy trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

Up to Ã&#pound;5.6 million has disappeared and had to be repaid to customers by credit card companies, ABTA and the Civil Aviation Authority.

Judge Andrew Goymer said all four had taken part in a Ã¢â¬Åâœcynical and greedy fraudÃ¢â¬~.

Timothy Entwhistle, of Dorset, and Evengela Liogka and Christakis Philippou, both from London, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

Philippou was jailed for seven years, Entwhistle for three years and Liogka for three and a half years.

Peter Kemp, of Hertfordshire, who earlier admitted the same charge, was jailed for four and a half years. He was also banned from being a company director for 15 years. The others received similar disqualifications of between five a ten years.

The court heard that the empire of fraudulent companies helped fund lavish lifestyles over a period of three years from July 2003.

by Phil Davies