Deceitful travel agent's sentence reduced (From Witney Gazette)

Deceitful travel agent's sentence reduced

8:02am Friday 1st February 2008 in Witney

A DECEITFUL travel agent who fleeced a trusting holidaymaker by conning her into paying twice for the same summer break had his sentence cut, but conviction upheld by top judges.

Kevin Ronan Spencer Willington, 53, of Summerside, Buckland, was jailed for two years at Salisbury Crown Court in April last year, after he was convicted of two counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception.

He was also ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to the victim of his crime.

Willington's case reached the Court of Appeal, in London, on Tuesday, as he challenged his conviction, sentence, and the compensation order.

After an hour's argument, Judge Peter Beaumont rejected Willington's conviction challenge, but cut his sentence from two years to 18 months.

The judge - sitting with Mr Justice Wilkie - also overturned the compensation order, which he said was simply 'unlawful'.

Willington duped a woman holidaymaker into paying money up-front to hire a luxury villa in the Algarve.

He persuaded her to pay an initial sum to cover accommodation and other costs, and then to hand over an additional £1,850 when the first booking fell through.

The prosecution case was that he had duped her into 'paying twice for the same holiday', said Judge Beaumont. He rejected arguments that Willington's convictions were 'unsafe', but cut his sentence after concluding that his original two-year term was 'too long'.