Pollard pleads guilty to fraud

Former Bookable Holidays director Johnny Pollard has pleaded guilty to fraud and could get a 26-week prison sentence.
In a hearing today, he pleaded guilty to a £5,591.59 fraud by abuse of position while working at Bookable Holidays.
According to his former employer he took money for three separate bookings and put it into his own account.
Speaking to TravelMole after today’s hearing, Bookable Holidays director Jason Dwyer said: “He was a friend and he came to work with us but after a couple of months we said thanks but no thanks. It was only after he left that we discovered a rogue booking which pointed back to him.
“We quizzed him on it and he confessed, but after that two more cropped up so I had no choice but to call the police.
“It’s a shame as there are no winners in this. I was forced into that corner and I had no choice to report him, for my staff, my customers and the other directors in the company.”
Dwyer confirmed that Pollard has since paid back all the money.
Newbury Magistrates Court confirmed today that Pollard, 39, has been granted unconditional bail and will appear again on December 15.
Pollard sat on ABTA’s membership committee and enjoyed a high profile in the industry.
It is believed he is still doing some work for travel companies.
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Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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