Travel agent Mark Fitchett has been given a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he pleaded guilty to fraud.
The Not Just Travel franchisee, based in Calne, Wiltshire was also ordered to do 225 hours unpaid work and complete 10 days of rehabilitation activity.
He will also receive 12 sessions of mental health treatment.
Swindon Crown Court heard that Fitchett spent his customers’ money instead of paying for their holidays. The court heard that the offences took place over a 20-month period, between 8 September 2020 and 5 May 2022.
Fitchett, aged 58, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by abuse of position. The court said: “While he was a franchisee of Not Just Travel when he was expected to safeguard or not act against the financial interests of customers, he dishonestly abused that position intending to gain money for himself’.
Not Just Travel co-founder Steve Witt said: “As part of our strict internal processes designed to identify any issues with bookings, we became concerned and made the decision to proactively involve the police as soon as we were aware of the issue.
“We then moved fast to identify any customer that may have been affected, ensuring everyone was both happy with their bookings and no customers were left financially affected by the situation.
“We have proactively worked with the police as part of their investigation into the matter.”
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The Not Just Travel franchisee, based in Calne, Wiltshire was also ordered to do 225 hours unpaid work and complete 10 days of rehabilitation activity.
He will also receive 12 sessions of mental health treatment.
Swindon Crown Court heard that Fitchett spent his customers’ money instead of paying for their holidays. The court heard that the offences took place over a 20-month period, between 8 September 2020 and 5 May 2022.
Fitchett, aged 58, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by abuse of position. The court said: “While he was a franchisee of Not Just Travel when he was expected to safeguard or not act against the financial interests of customers, he dishonestly abused that position intending to gain money for himself’.
Not Just Travel co-founder Steve Witt said: “As part of our strict internal processes designed to identify any issues with bookings, we became concerned and made the decision to proactively involve the police as soon as we were aware of the issue.
“We then moved fast to identify any customer that may have been affected, ensuring everyone was both happy with their bookings and no customers were left financially affected by the situation.
“We have proactively worked with the police as part of their investigation into the matter.”
The post Travel agent given suspended prison sentence for fraud appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
