Man ordered to repay more than half a million for Crete hotel fraud
A former carpet fitter has been orderd to repay more than half a million pounds to those who invested in his failed venture to develop hotel sites in Crete.
Ralph Christie, aged 56 from West Yorkshire, was found guilty on five charges of fraud in 2015 and sentenced to seven years in jail. At the time, the judge said he had used the money to fund his lifestyle and gambling.
Yesterday, Bradford Crown Court ordered him to repay £569,990 to investors, which included a company that had sunk almost £900,000 into his scheme and five individuals.
Ramona Senior, the head of West Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: "At the centre of this were the victims who lost a lot of money because of the fraud.
"The impact on them in many cases was considerable and at least today we have secured money back from Christie."
Christie has three months to pay the money back – or risk his prison sentence being extended by four years.
Senior added: "The order made will be robustly enforced and if Christie fails to pay this order he will face a further four years in prison and the debt he owes to society will remain with him for life until paid in full."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025