Tui travel agent stole £63000 in gift vouchers to go on cruises

A travel agent stole £63,000 of gift vouchers and used them to take her friends on cruise holidays, a court has heard.

Karen Mitchell was a senior manager at travel firm Tui’s offices in Wigmore, Luton, when she systematically stole the vouchers between 2011 and 2018.

The 49-year-old pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of possession.

Mitchell, of Grantham Avenue in Great Notley, Essex, was given a two-year jail term, suspended for two years.

She was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and given a four-month home curfew.

Judge Richard Foster told Mitchell she was “very fortunate” not to be jailed immediately at Luton Crown Court.

Mitchell was sacked after her fraud was discovered earlier this year when she notified Tui’s Swansea office that she wanted to cancel a cruise holiday she was due to embark on five days later.

Gift card irregularities were found and she told the company what she had done after an internal investigation.

Mitchell had been well liked and was described as a “workaholic” by colleagues, the court heard.

But her defence barrister Nicola Howard said she suffered from low self-esteem and was desperate to be liked by paying for “things” for others.

The court heard Mitchell also had £40,000 of personal debts which she had concealed from her family, some of which she had now paid back.