Hull man jailed for taking deposits for fake caravan breaks

Middleton also sold non-existent PlayStation 5 consoles and garden furniture

A man has been jailed for fraud after selling non-existent caravan breaks.

Lewis Middleton, 30, of Holderness Road, Hull, advertised lodges and caravans for rent on well-known websites and social media.

People discovered their accommodation did not exist or was not Middleton's to rent after he took deposits of about £200.

He was sentenced to two years and six months' imprisonment at Hull Crown Court on 6 March.

Financial evidence found he received payments totalling £106,685.92 from 565 people.

'Paid hard-earned money'

Middleton, who admitted fraud offences at a previous court hearing, committed the scams between 2017 and 2022 across the UK.

He also sold non-existent PlayStation 5 consoles and garden furniture on social media and selling sites, taking money from buyers but not delivering the goods.

Officers from the Proactive Economic Crime Team from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) identified Middleton as the man behind the fraud.

Det Ch Insp Jon Hodgeon, acting head of the YHROCU, said: "Victims would sometimes only discover the holidays they'd paid their hard-earned money for didn't actually exist when they arrived at the destination.

"I'm pleased that the scale of his offending has been reflected in the custodial sentence he was given. I also hope it encourages victims to report this kind of offending as we police do investigate it and we do take action."