Travel agent Lyne Barlow admits £1.6m holidays scam

Lyne Barlow (left) admitted a string of charges at Durham Crown Court

A travel agent has pleaded guilty to a scam involving hundreds of customers, which could total £2.6m.

Lyne Barlow, 39, previously of Stanley, County Durham, admitted stealing £500,000 from one person, 10 counts of fraud and a money laundering charge involving £1.6m.

Durham Crown Court was told Barlow's offending topped £2.6m, although her defence team disputes that figure.

Judge James Adkin said she faces jail when she is sentenced on 12 December.

Barlow defrauded family and friends of their savings to set up her travel agency before falsely selling holidays to customers, Durham Police said after the case.

She lied that she was protected by the ATOL insurance scheme and was a member of the Association of British Travel Agents.

Many of those people who handed over their money later discovered that Barlow had never paid for the holidays they booked with her.

'Lives changed forever'

"Several hundred" people came forward to make complaints against her and Det Sgt Alan Meehan said it had been one of the biggest fraud cases the force had dealt with.

"So many people have been affected by her actions, lives have been changed forever and some are still feeling the effects today," he added.

Police said the frauds related to loans, investments and holiday sales.

The court heard that some of Barlow's victims may wish to read statements during the sentencing hearing.

Tony Davis, defending, said some of her clients received their holidays and suffered no loss.

He asked the court to allow a psychiatric report to be prepared and referred to the fact Barlow told some people she has a terminal illness.

Judge Adkin granted her bail ahead of the sentencing but told her she would be given "a long prison sentence".

Durham Police said Barlow's travel business was no longer operational, and its social media page was taken down shortly after her arrest in September 2020.