A former travel company director who conned dozens of customers out of nearly £300,000 through fake luxury holiday bookings has been jailed, after a court heard she used part of the money to cover her children’s private school fees.Shelley Simpson, 46, ran Portsmouth-based Sphere Events Limited between 2019 and 2022, promising customers discounted prices on premium holidays, flights and exclusive events. But prosecutors said many bookings either never existed or were never paid for, leaving families facing canceled flights and significant financial losses, The Telegraph reported.Portsmouth Crown Court heard that 47 customers were affected by the scam, and complaints were later made to Hampshire Police and Portsmouth Trading Standards.On Wednesday, Simpson was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison after admitting fraudulent trading. She was also banned from working as a director of the company for eight years.Judge William Ashworth described her behavior as one long “dance of deceit” and told the court her “relentless” lying showed a “callous disregard” for the distress she causes victims.The court heard that Simpson regularly reassured customers that their money was safe and claimed she received exclusive discounts through industry connections.
In one case, she told a customer she could arrange discounted rates at the Ritz because she supposedly knew the manager.However, prosecutors said the company operated similar to a “Ponzi scheme,” where money from new customers was used to pay off old debts rather than pay for real bookings.One victim, Jodie Stallard, transferred more than £37,000 for a family holiday to Barbados and additional trips after Simpson assured her the trip had been arranged.The court later heard that the holiday was never booked, despite confirmation letters allegedly sent to reassure the family.Duncan Milne, prosecuting, said Simpson repeatedly fabricated booking confirmations and altered documents to convince customers their flights had been insured.He told the court that clients’ money was often diverted elsewhere, including school fees for the Simpson children, who attend a private school costing around £18,000 a year.Investigators later discovered that Simpson had searched online for “jail for fraud” before her arrest in November 2022.Police also noticed renovations underway at her property during the investigation.The court heard that Simpson had previously been warned in 2016 for transferring £4,500 from the school where she worked as an office manager to a personal account.Defense lawyer Robert Bryan said Simpson was not financing a lavish lifestyle and instead became trapped in a cycle of using new payments to cover old liabilities.“She was stealing from Peter to pay Paul,” he told the court, adding that she appeared to derive satisfaction from organizing experiments for others.Bryan also said that Simpson, who suffers from bipolar disorder, has shown remorse for her actions.About 20 victims were present in court during Simpson’s sentencing.