"Arrogant" Christian Holidays Boss Sentenced For £26K 'Bible Lands Cruise' Fraud

A disgraced Christian-themed holidays travel agent, who secretly used £26,000 in 'Bible Lands Cruise' bookings on a disastrous Turkish hotel venture, received a suspended prison sentence yesterday.

Bob Fleming, 62, didn't use the fees he charged friends and long-standing customers to secure berths on the 'Thomson Spirit', but ploughed the money into his new pet project.

He lied to and encouraged his customers to fork out extra cash to extend their holiday to include a stay at the hotel he had leased and repaired.

Fleming, the boss of Living Sun Holidays, of Selwyn Road, New Malden denied, but was found guilty of two counts of fraudulent trading between January 1 and November 30, 2014.

He was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to pay £15,000 costs in six months and banned from being a company director for ten years by Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court Judge Paul Dodgson.

"The world should be spared any possibility of you offending in that function," said the judge, who also fined Fleming's company Kyrilios Ltd £2,000 after it was convicted of engaging in misleading commercial practise.

He advertised the ten-day eastern Mediterranean cruise to his existing customers, which was due to begin in Turkey and conclude in Israel.

It would visit such historical destinations as the site of the Colossus of Rhodes; Byblos, Lebanon and the tour would also visit Jerusalem's Garden of Gethsemane.

The brochure claimed the cruise would include full-board, three meals a day, transfers and be led by Biblical experts Rev. Brian Fishel and Fleming himself.

Fleming, who was convicted of illegal trading in 2010 was told by the judge: "You are an arrogant man, who having had this warning decided you would conduct your affairs in the way you know best, regardless of anyone else's interests.

"You had had a number of successful holidays to the Middle-East and genuinely proposed a new one. 

"When it all started you were acting honestly, but you decided to invest in this hotel in Turkey and that was a disastrous decision and that's when your arrogance took over.

"You had the twenty-six thousand pounds your customers invested in this cruise……you sent it to Turkey because you knew best.

"You were inviting these friends and customers to invest in Turkey, little did they know that like it or not they had already done so.

"The arrogance snowballed when you realised the Turkey project was beyond redemption and you started telling some unpleasant lies."

The customers were never ATOL protected, but have been compensated by Fleming, who sold his £355,000 house and moved with his wife to a £250,000 flat in Cornwall.

"You abused the trust of your friends and customers and you know it," Judge Dodgson told him. "You told blatant lies to cover it up."

The judge said Fleming only compensated his customers to avoid prosecution.

"At this point you started talking about selling houses because you were hoping that by paying money you may persuade Kingston council not to prosecute you.

"You were trying to wriggle out of the situation you created and even now you don't accept you were dishonest.

"You leave this court as a convicted fraudster and your friends and customers will now know you were taking their money to put to your own purposes.

"When you encountered trouble you turned to crime."

One unhappy customer, 81 year-old Gospatric Home, who planned a break with wife Diana said: "It is a crazy saga. 

"The money we all paid was not held in an escrow account. If it had been, then he could have repaid it all to everyone."

Fleming told the court today: "I'm still shocked that a thirty-year career in travel has ended this way. It's hard to take."

He said he used £70,000 from his house sale to pay debts and compensation and would need a "number of years" to pay the £15,000 costs.

"I've had no income for two years, the company has no value. I was hoping to sell it, but it has zero goodwill."

Prosecutor Mr. Richard Hallam told the jury: "Mr. Fleming was a travel agent and tour operator, who for thirty years arranged holidays in the UK and abroad.

"His specialism was Christian holidays and he was the director of Kyrilios Ltd and Living Sun Ltd., which traded under the name Living Sun Holidays.

"There was improper use of customers funds who had booked the cruise and he carried on the businesses for a fraudulent purpose."

Fleming was investigated by Trading Standards from the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames after receiving a complaint on October 17, 2014.

There was already an existing complaint from tour operator Thomson about Fleming using their name on his brochures.

"Mr. Fleming presses Thomson again and again for a free place for himself and by the time of the cruise his business is on the verge of failing."

Trading Standards traced fifteen customers who paid £26,000 to Fleming. "They thought they were securing a berth on a cruise ship.

"He should have paid for the cruise with that twenty-six thousand, but he didn't.

"It was channeled to his other business, a hotel he had leased in Turkey and he asked his customers to stay in that hotel.

"He used the money to renovate that hotel. It is dishonest, but Mr. Fleming said he did not see it as fraudulent," added Mr. Hallam.

Customers started asking for refunds when the cruise itinerary was changed because of trouble in the Gaza strip.

"Refunds were chased, but there had been no protection in place in the eyes of the law and he had lied that flights were ATOL-covered."

"Mr. Fleming never paid or confirmed the bookings with Thomson.

"He had to invent reasons why there were delays in refunds, including blaming Thomson's trading standards investigation.

"He had no right whatsoever to plough the money into the hotel in Turkey and quite incredibly some customers were invited to loan money to the hotel.

"He misused and lost their money in the business venture and had to fabricate why he had to cancel a cruise he had never booked.

"Two weeks before the cruise Mr. Fleming purported to cancel the cruise on the basis of an unsatisfactory itinerary. The cruise went ahead."

When questioned by Trading Standards Fleming blamed the Gaza re-route for wrecking the cruise, but conceded he: "Screwed up."

"It all started to unravel," he explained. "Money just vanishes."

Despite his financial troubles the prosecution accept Fleming did eventually take care of customers.

"Refunds were made to some people many moths later," said Mr. Hallam.

Fleming told the jury no customer had been left out of pocket.

"There are no debts, no one's owed any money.

"Yes, we made mistakes, but did not intend to mislead, deceive or defraud people.

"I don't believe I am guilty of an offence."