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 private school fees for her children.Shelley Simpson, 46, ran Portsmouth-based Sphere Events Limited between 2019 and 2022, promising clients discounted rates on premium holidays, flights and exclusive events. But prosecutors said many of the bookings either never existed or were never paid for, leaving families facing cancelled trips and major financial losses, The Telegraph reported.Portsmouth Crown Court heard that 47 customers were affected by the fraud, with complaints later submitted 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 serving as a company director for eight years.Judge William Ashworth described her behaviour as a prolonged “dance of deception”, telling the court that her “relentless” lying showed a “callous disregard” for the distress caused to victims.The court heard Simpson regularly reassured customers that their money was safe and claimed she had access to exclusive discounts through industry contacts. In one case, she told a client she could arrange reduced rates at the Ritz Hotel because she supposedly knew the manager.However, prosecutors said the business operated similarly to a “Ponzi scheme”, where money from new customers was used to plug older debts instead of paying for genuine bookings.One victim, Jodie Stallard, transferred more than £37,000 for a Barbados family holiday and additional excursions after Simpson assured her the trip had been arranged.The court later heard the holiday had never actually been booked, despite confirmation messages allegedly being sent to reassure the family.Duncan Milne, prosecuting, said Simpson repeatedly fabricated booking confirmations and altered documents to convince customers their trips had been secured.He told the court that customer money was often diverted elsewhere, including towards school fees for Simpson’s children, who attend a private school costing around £18,000 annually.Investigators later discovered Simpson had searched online for “Prison for fraud” before her arrest in November 2022.Police also noted renovation work being carried out at her property during the investigation.The court heard Simpson had previously received a caution in 2016 for transferring £4,500 from the school where she worked as an office manager into a personal account.Defence lawyer Robert Bryan argued Simpson had not been funding a lavish lifestyle and instead became trapped in a cycle of using new payments to cover old commitments.“She was robbing Peter to pay Paul,” he told the court, adding that she appeared to gain satisfaction from organising experiences for others.Bryan also said Simpson, who has bipolar disorder, had shown remorse for her actions.Around 20 victims were present in court during Simpson’s sentencing.
