Fraudulent travel agent who pretended to have terminal cancer jailed

Durham court heard Lyne Barlow’s £1.2bn fraud also involved stealing financial identity of her mother

A rogue travel agent who defrauded 1,400 holidaymakers and pretended to have terminal cancer to deflect complaints has been jailed for nine years.

Durham crown court heard how the scale of Lyne Barlow’s fraud, which also involved stealing the financial identity of her mother and borrowing money from neighbours and friends that was not paid back, has been estimated at £1.2m.