British family faces jail for fake holiday sickness claim
British family faces jail for fake holiday sickness claim
A BRITISH family is facing up to six years in jail for a fake food-poisoning claim after their holiday in Mallorca.
Deborah Briton, 53 and Paul Roberts, 43 (pictured left) appeared in Liverpool Crown Court this week after attempting to earn 52,000 pounds (around €62,400) in compensation for a fictitious stomach bug allegedly caused by the food at their hotel, and which they said also affected two of their children.
They are the first to face criminal trial for fraudulent sickness claims, although not the first to be taken to task.
Earlier, Julie Lavelle and Michael McIntyre, from Liverpool, were ordered to pay 3,744 pounds (just under €4,500) to tour operator Thomas Cook in compensation after a judge in the north-western UK city threw out a claim filed by the couple for sickness during a 2013 holiday in Gran Canaria.
They had tried to get 10,000 pounds (about €12,000) by alleging they and their two children became ill due to 'poor food and hygiene at the hotel'.
Briton and Roberts, the latest couple to be caught, have denied the charges against them which district judge Andrew Shaw called 'a sophisticated fraud with a relatively high value of money claimed'.
Once again, it was Thomas Cook who filed legal action.
Their minimum sentence, if found guilty, could be 18 months in prison.
Deborah Briton's daughter Charlene, 30 (pictured right), is also said to have filed a sickness claim, believed to be fraudulent, on behalf of herself and her daughter whilst they were on holiday in Mallorca in 2016.
The hearing has been adjourned until August 10, and the family has been released with charges pending trial.
