Shelley Simpson: British tourism boss jailed for £300,000 holiday ‘Ponzi scheme’ used to pay for children’s school fees News of the World

A former travel company director who defrauded dozens of customers of nearly £300,000 through fake luxury holiday bookings has been jailed after a court heard she used some of the money to pay for her children’s private school fees.Shelley Simpson, 46, ran Portsmouth-based Sphere Events Limited from 2019 to 2022, promising customers discounted prices on quality holidays, flights and exclusive events. But prosecutors said many bookings either never existed or were never paid for, leaving families facing trip cancellations and significant financial losses, The Telegraph reported.Portsmouth Crown Court heard that 47 customers were affected by the fraud and complaints were subsequently submitted to Hampshire Police and Portsmouth Trading Standards.Simpson was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to fraudulent trading. She was also banned from serving as a company director for eight years.Judge William Ashworth described her actions as a long “dance of deception” and told the court her “relentless” lies showed a “callous disregard” for the suffering caused to her victims.The court heard Simpson often assured customers their money was safe and claimed she could obtain exclusive discounts through industry contacts. In one case, she told a client that she could arrange a discounted rate at the Ritz because she allegedly knew the manager.However, prosecutors said the business operated like a “Ponzi scheme” in which funds from new customers were used to pay off old debts rather than pay true booking fees.Victim Jodie Stallard transferred more than £37,000 for a family holiday in Barbados and other excursions after Simpson assured her the trip had been arranged.The court later heard that despite a confirmation message allegedly being sent to reassure the family, the holiday was never actually booked.Duncan Milne, prosecuting, said Simpson repeatedly forged booking confirmations and altered documents to make customers believe their trips were covered.He told the court that client money was often diverted elsewhere, including to pay the school fees for Simpson’s children, who attended private schools at a cost of around £18,000 a year.Investigators later discovered that Simpson had searched online for “fraud jail” before his arrest in November 2022.Police also noted that renovations were underway at her residence during the investigation.The court heard Simpson had previously been warned in 2016 for transferring £4,500 from the school where she was an office manager into a personal account.Defense attorney Robert Bryan argued that instead of financing a lavish lifestyle, Simpson was caught in a cycle of paying for old promises with new payments.“She was robbing Peter of his money,” he told the court, adding that she seemed to derive satisfaction from organizing experiences for others.Bryan also said Simpson suffered from bipolar disorder and that she expressed remorse for her actions.About 20 victims were in court at Simpson’s sentencing.