False holiday claims dismissed
A couple who filed a bogus food poisoning claim have been ordered to pay £17,200 after posting 'happy and healthy 'selfies'
IN ANOTHER victory for the UK travel industry, a Liverpool couple have been caught out after claiming compensation for a holiday in Benidorm that they alleged was ruined by food poisoning.
Successful claims to tour operators are usually compensated by the hotel in which the claimants were staying and the sector has been demanding action from the British authorities over fake claims.
However, in this case, 22year-old Jamie Melling and his 21-year-old girlfriend, Chelsea Devine, waited eight months after returning home before submitting a compensation claim for £2,800 (about €3,200) to TUI.
In addition, they had apparently forgotten having posted “selfies” on the internet during their break, which the judge said showed them looking happy and healthy.
The couple were ordered to pay £17,200 (about €19,700) to TUI after the court accepted evi- dence from the tour operator and the Levante Beach apartments, where they spent their ten-day all-inclusive holiday, that there had been no food poisoning outbreak.
In addition, their British doctor and their solicitor could face legal action over the case; the doctor who gave evidence to support their claim is reported to be one of the partners of the law firm that represented them.
Last summer, UK PM Theresa May vowed to tackle the problem of false sickness claims, which have left a number of Spanish hotels con- siderably out of pocket.
Tourists in resorts have also been approached by representatives of British lawyers touting for business, who advise they need only present a chemist’s receipt obtained while on holiday to make a compensation claim.