A glamorous mother of three faces up to eight years in a hellish Spanish prison when she is found guilty of a massive food poisoning scam while on holiday.
Laura Holmes Cameron faces one of the harshest punishments of the British group of eight if she is exposed as the instigator of the alleged fraud.
The 43-year-old Essex-born expat describes himself on social media as an entrepreneur who now works in travel and commerce, turning passions into salaries.
She was this week charged with fraud and membership of a criminal gang following a lengthy investigation and police arrest in Mallorca in September 2017.
Laura Holmes Cameron, the Essex-born owner of a notorious bar in Magaluf, is now on trial
Well-informed sources told MailOnline yesterday that the type of fraud she is charged with – aggravated fraud – faces a maximum sentence of six years in Spain and a maximum sentence of two years on the second charge.
One said: “She is likely to wait five to eight years if convicted of both offences. That’s probably the kind of punishment prosecutors will ask for.”
The judge, who charged Laura under her maiden name rather than her married name Joyce, accused her in a six-page written judgment of “running the organized gang for profit” with her brother Marc Cameron Grimstead by ‘ a Spanish firm called Elite Project Bemarking SL.
Palma resident Maria Perez Ruiz also accused the couple of hiring accomplices, paid on a commission basis, to bring British tourists to the holiday island to make false food poisoning claims.
At the time of their arrest, detectives were said to have put losses at around £9.5m for the hotel groups, whose allegations of fraud led to a police crackdown called Operation Claims.
MailOnline understands the final amount hoteliers and a public prosecutor’s office will demand, as compensation has not yet been finalised.
Pregnant Laura Holmes Cameron is pictured on September 7, 2017 during a previous hearing in relation to the alleged fraud at the Majorca court
Other accused members of the alleged ring are Susan Lyle (left) and Tegan Summerlee (right), pictured in court
Holmes Cameron was arrested at a luxury villa in posh Bendinat, near the glamorous Mallorcan port of Puerto Portals (pictured).
The coroner explained in the judgment published on Wednesday that payouts received in the UK for the alleged fraud in 2016 and 2017 were “significantly in excess” of £176,000.
Prosecutors are expected to be asked to file their charges by the end of next month.
Highly respected Majorcan lawyer Jaime Campaner is representing the island’s hotel association, which launched its own legal action in the same criminal case, independent of prosecutors.
Holmes Cameron’s lawyer is veteran Gabriel Llado, who, after his client appeared in a closed court hearing in May 2018, said she admitted to releasing vacationers’ names and phone numbers for a fee, but insisted that it is part of pure market research. .
He also insisted that neither the alleged gang leaders nor the so-called “Eisboers” were collecting data from tourists, which Holmes Cameron shared with others in the UK, encouraging holidaymakers to obtain pharmacy coupons so they could make false claims of food poisoning. the police. and hotelier representatives demanded.
Laura Holmes Cameron (right) and her mother, Deborah Cameron, who was arrested earlier in the investigation but took no further action
Laura Holmes Cameron and her husband Stuart Holmes’ Bar Heroes in Puerto Portals was raided by the police in 2017
Laura Holmes Cameron (left) is pictured with her mother, Deborah, who was investigated but not charged
A source close to the matter said: ‘A conviction of fraud will result in both a fine and a prison sentence.
“Of course, prosecutors will also claim damages for the amount they believe was defrauded.
“The final figure may not be included in the indictment, but it will be disclosed during the trial.”
The other six accused Britons were referred to as Ryan Bridge; Simon Robert Flanagan; Tegan Jewel Summerlee; Susan Amanda Lyle; Nicola-Marie Sanderson; and Peter Carl Murphy.
Bridge, previously the sole director of UK leave claims, was described as “one of the people tasked with dealing with the bogus claims in England”.
The other five Britons were described as being paid on commission, “hired by the two siblings to go to various hotels and obtain personal information from tourists, including details that could be linked to the consumption of meals in hotels “. Poisoning’.
Preliminary proceedings have been opened against four other Britons who have been identified as part of the investigation – but only because their whereabouts are unknown and they have not been formally questioned.
The judge said in her ruling that of the 800 holidaymakers who stayed at Club Mac Alcudia (pictured) and filed a claim for damages, only 38 sought medical help.
Former Magaluf bar owner Laura, who now spends most of her time in the UK despite reportedly having to report to a court in Palma every few weeks as part of her probation, was arrested at a luxury villa in chic Bendinat, close to the glamorous Mallorcan harbour. from Puerto Portals.
After her arrest, it was discovered that her Playhouse pub was where a British tourist engaged in sexual activity with 24 men over cheap drinks in the summer of 2014.
The aftermath of the infamous video led to a crackdown on bar crawls in Magaluf after regional governors described the “outrageous” sex scenes as “a terrible image” of the area and women and vowed to stop it by any means necessary .
Holmes Cameron, who was not at her bar at the time of the incident, closed the Playhouse soon after.
The UK government has announced new measures to tackle bogus holiday sickness claims following scandals including the Mallorca food poisoning scam.
Peter Carl Murphy (left) is one of the other suspects allegedly involved in the scam
Eight Britons including Susan Lyle (left) and Peter Murphy (right) were this week charged with fraud and membership of a criminal gang after years of investigation
In the same year as the Mallorca arrests, Benidorm hotel association HOSBEC estimated that British guests had cost Spanish hotels around £55 million in false food poisoning claims.
Some reports at the time even claimed Britons were facing a holiday ban at some all-inclusive Costa hotels.
Many scammers were caught after private investigators hired by affected hotels scoured their social media and found them posting photos of themselves eating and drinking when they later claimed to insurers that they were in bed with diarrhea.
A family who claimed their holiday was ruined by food poisoning were jailed in February 2021 after Facebook photos showed them enjoying the waterslide and bar during the trip.
Christopher Byng, 38, Barbara Byng, 64, Linda Lane, 36, and Anthony Byng, 66, made false stomach illness claims against Jet2holidays after an all-inclusive trip to the Canary Islands in November 2016.
Christopher, Barbara and Anthony Byng were all sentenced to four months in prison. Lane received a suspended sentence.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
