'Cruel and deceitful' wedding scammer sentenced to three years in prison
A wedding planner who conned 150 engaged couples out of more than £100,000 has been jailed for three years.
Lisa Holt's company Bake a Cake, based in the West Midlands, failed to provide a host of services to brides and grooms and other party customers after taking deposits and payments.
The 41-year-old mother-of-two will now give birth to twins in jail after admitting three counts of fraud between May 1 and August 31, 2015.
Some of the 700 victims - including couples from all over the UK - were even forced to cancel their weddings and events.
Prosecutor Mark Jackson said the profits from the scam totalled £104,000, with £46,000 defrauded from popular website Wowcher and the remainder from customers.
Dudley Trading Standards alone received 150 complaints about the Halesowen-based company.
Holt's mechanic husband Ryan, also 41, pleaded guilty to a string of fraud and other offences in January 2017 and was sentenced to nine months.
Judge Barry Berlin branded Lisa Holt "cruel and deceitful".
Charlotte Peace booked her dad's 60th party through Bake a Cake
Charlotte Peace booked a photo booth, DJ and food through Holt's company for her Dad’s 60th birthday and lost a total of £500.
Peace had handed over the money 12 months before the party in December 2015. She found out in August 2016 that the company had gone bust.
She said the worst thing was “feeling let down” and having to organise everything all over again.
Lisa Elliot booked a cancer recovery part through Bake a Cake
Mum-of-two Lisa Elliott, 45, was planning a cancer recovery party to raise money for charity after getting the good news that she was in remission from breast cancer.
The property developer paid Holt £200 as a deposit for balloons, decorations and a chocolate fountain for 100 people but has never had a penny back.
Lisa, who lives with her fiance Julian Evans, 44, in Halesowen, said: "My booking with her was only a couple of weeks before she went bust.
"She had already told some people she wasn't trading but she still took my money.
"My monetary value was low compared to some people because I would only pay her the £200 deposit even though she wanted all the money up front.
"The prison sentence is definitely justified, she has been very unfair and untrustworthy and has let a lot of good people down."
A spokesperson for Wowcher said it sought replacement suppliers for customers or provided them with a full refund for their vouchers.
"Wowcher had paid Bake A Cake £45,996.30 for vouchers that were redeemed with Bake A Cake but which were not honoured by Bake A Cake."