Carer, 27, is spared jail despite duping 15 holidaymakers into paying for fake Disneyland Paris trip… only to use their £16,020 to fund her lavish Turkish wedding
- Chantelle Ashley from Stoke-on-Trent arranged trip to Disneyland Paris
- The 27-year-old carer stole the £16,020 to fund her luxury Turkish wedding
- Ashley said she was intended using cash gifts to repay the money from the fund
- She received a suspended 15-month jail sentence and ordered to repay the cash
- Were you ripped off by Ashley? Contact [email protected]
A 27-year-old woman duped 15 holiday makers into paying £16,020 for a dream trip to Disneyland Paris which she stole to get married to a man she had met in Turkey.
Chantelle Ashley from Stoke-on-Trent had previously arranged successful trips to the theme park without any issue.
However, she took the cash to fund her wedding on the understanding that she and her husband would receive enough gifts of cash during the lavish reception to cover the trip.
Chantelle Ashley, pictured outside Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, ripped off 15 people who paid her money to arrange a dream holiday to Disneyland Paris. The registered carer used the cash to pay for her wedding to a man in Turkey
Ashley had previously arranged two successful trips to Disneyland Paris, pictured. Stoke on Trent Crown Court heard some clients began paying in cash to her account almost 12 months before the trip was due to take place
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Ashley, 27, returned to the city following her wedding without any cash to cover the Disneyland trip, leaving 15 customers and their families heartbroken.
She was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for 18 months having admitted 15 counts of theft.
She was also ordered by the court to pay £16,020 compensation to her victims.
The court heard the defendant was a genuine travel organiser who had arranged bona fide trips to Disneyland Paris between 2014 and 2016. The scam trip was advertised in January, 2017 and had been due to leave on December 13, 2017.
Prosecutor Timothy Ashmole said: ‘The defendant received £16,020 from 15 individuals.
‘One customer paid a deposit and made regular payments to the defendant’s account. But it soon became apparent the trip was not going to happen.
‘Another paid £1,144 by direct transfer to the defendant’s account. The advert stated it was ABTA-backed but that was not strictly true.’
She was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for 18 months at Stoke on Trent Crown Court, pictured, having admitted 15 counts of theft. She was also ordered to attend a 15-day rehabilitation activity as well as completing 220-hours of unpaid work
The 15 victims have lodged compensation claims.
Barry White, mitigating, said the defendant is ‘exceptionally remorseful’ and apologetic. He said she was taken advantage of after she got married in Turkey.
Mr White added: ‘She is very sorry for what she has done. This is somebody who can be rehabilitated.
‘She is the registered carer for her mother. The offences came about because of outside interference from other people.’
The suspended sentence includes a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 220-hours unpaid work.
Judge David Fletcher told Ashley: ‘You caused 15 people and many more besides, as many had children, a massive amount of financial loss. They also suffered a huge amount of emotional turmoil.
‘I accept your intention was to do what you had done successfully on previous occasions – to provide people with a positive holiday experience at Disneyland Paris. What happened was your involvement with this person in Turkey, the marriage to him, and the pressure you were placed under by him and his family to pay for what seems like a lavish wedding ceremony. £16,000 is a lot of money.
‘You, of your own volition, knowing what you had done and the police had been speaking to members of your family, made arrangements to come back and face the music.
‘You were naive. Life is not a Disney film. You were duped, you were cheated and you were taken advantage of.
‘You have been cruelly misled and, as a result of that, you cruelly affected the lives of many people. This is not a fantasy world. This is the real world.
‘You have been treated very badly by a group of people. They are not interested in you. You should not be interested in them.’
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