Former travel agent admits defrauding holidaymakers

A former travel agent has avoided jail after she admitted defrauding thousands of euro from holidaymakers.

Emma Lawless (40) took money from customers’ credit cards to put deposits on holidays and then used this money to book holidays for other people.

Her defence counsel said she had made several mistakes in booking holidays for customers and was using other customers’ money to cover her tracks. She also took money from co-workers to help amend the mistakes, defrauding one colleague and his cousin out of €6,000.

In total Ms Lawless took €11,192 from her eight victims, none of which she has repaid.

Lawless, St David’s Park, Artane, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three sample counts of inducing others to give her money and credit card details in May and June 2012.

Judge Terence O’Sullivan said yesterday he viewed the offences as being on the lower end of the scale.

He imposed a three-month sentence, suspended in full on condition Lawless continued to engage in mental health treatment.

Garda David Kenny told prosecuting counsel Pieter Le Vert that Lawless was hired by Holiday Finders Travel Agents on O’Connell Street, Dublin, in 2012.

After several months the owners began to receive complaints about holidays not being booked despite deposits being paid.