Christian cruise-goers ‘conned out of £26k in travel agent scam'

Mediterranean tour: Bob Fleming
Tony Palmer
Tony Palmer24 March 2016
WEST END FINAL

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A travel agent specialising in Christian-themed holidays defrauded customers who booked a “Bible Lands Cruise”, a court heard.

Instead of using the £26,000 booking fees to secure berths on the Thomson Spirit, Bob Fleming, 62, ploughed the money into a Turkish hotel and then encouraged customers to extend their holidays to include a stay at the hotel.

Fleming, the boss of Living Sun Holidays, of New Malden, denies two counts of fraudulent trading and two counts of engaging in misleading commercial practice and failing to provide evidence of a security.

Prosecutor Richard Heller told the jury at Kingston crown court: “Mr Fleming was a travel agent and tour operator, who for 30 years arranged holidays in the UK and abroad. His specialism was Christian holidays.”

He said Fleming advertised a 10-day Mediterranean cruise starting in Turkey and taking in the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, Byblos in Lebanon and Jerusalem’s Garden of Gethsemane.

His brochure claimed the trip would be led by biblical experts including Fleming himself.

Mediterranean tour: Bob Fleming took cash for a cruise visiting the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, the Colossus of Rhodes site (pictured) and Byblos in Lebanon
Alamy

However, customers started asking for refunds when the itinerary was changed because of trouble in the Gaza Strip and trading standards officers later traced 15 customers who had paid Fleming a total of £26,000.

Mr Heller said: “They thought they were securing a berth on a cruise ship. He should have paid for the cruise with that £26,000, but he didn’t. It was channelled to his other business, a hotel he had leased in Turkey and he asked his customers to stay in that hotel. He used the money to renovate that hotel. It is dishonest.

“Refunds were chased, but there had been no protection in place in the eyes of the law and he had lied that flights were Atol-covered. Mr Fleming never paid or confirmed the bookings with Thomson. He had to invent reasons why there were delays in refunds.

“He had no right whatsoever to plough the money into the hotel in Turkey and, quite incredibly, some customers were invited to loan money to the hotel. He misused and lost their money in the business venture and had to fabricate why he had to cancel a cruise he had never booked.

“Two weeks before the cruise, Mr Fleming purported to cancel the cruise on the basis of an unsatisfactory itinerary. The cruise went ahead.”

When questioned by trading standards officers, Fleming eventually conceded that he “screwed up”. “It all started to unravel,” he said. “Money just vanishes.”

The prosecution accept Fleming eventually took care of customers. “Refunds were made to some people many months later,” said Mr Heller.

Fleming told the court: “There are no debts, no one’s owed any money. I don’t believe I am guilty of an offence.”

The case continues.

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