A conman who conned "cruise customers" has been thrown into prison for five years today after fleecing them out of a staggering ￡400,000.

       Flaunting the title of a "lord," Richard Lester tricked more than 180 people across the globe with promises of 'cruisemiles' on his fraudulent Cruisemiles website.

       It's shocking enough to be hit with unexpected fees after purchasing a ticket, but here, there wasn't even a ticket to complain about. These victims, enticed by agents, thought they were securing cut-price cruises, yet none of them had their cruises booked.

       Instead, they faced the ultimate disappointment, being turned away by cruise operators at the harbours, their bags packed but dreams of sailing dashed.

       On December 17 2024, a jury convicted Lester of fraudulent trading and hiding dirty money - however, it wasn't until February 2025 that he was sentenced for his crimes.

       In adition to his incarceration, Lester was also slapped with a nine-year ban from corporate directorship for his gambling-driven, extravagant lifestyle funded by scheming.

       When passing sentence, Judge Mills minced no words in court, castigating Lester: "You not only took from these individuals and caused them distress, frustration, uncertainty, disappointment and financial loss but you sought to gaslight them," reports Express US.

       To add insult to injury, he blamed victims for their own misfortunes stemming from his deceit.

       The judge detailed how Lester's victims, including those who planned cruises for milestone birthdays or as wedding presents, were conned by his elaborate schemes. He said: "You were a professional gambler, gambling in poker tournaments and major poker tournaments, winning significant amounts of money, living the high life in Las Vegas and elsewhere."

       Lester ran Cruise Direct UK Ltd from 2009 to 2014, setting up a voucher system where customers could pay for cruise vouchers years ahead.

       These funds were then used to pay for other customers' earlier trips who had also purchased vouchers. Clients thought they were collecting miles for cruises, similar to air miles, but many found the goalposts for booking changed frequently.

       Lester lured customers with promises of cut-price cruise deals, often meeting them on cruises and even recruiting some as agents for his business. Initially, some clients did enjoy their cruises, earning the company a "prestigious World Travel Award" in 2012, but many others were left with fake confirmations for cruises that were never booked.

       Lester exploited funds from new customers to settle debts with previous ones, all while funding his extravagant lifestyle, gambling habits, and other business ventures. Despite receiving refunds after cancellations, customers were compelled to buy additional miles due to an increase in the number of miles required for a cruise.

       When the company folded, customers were left clutching worthless miles worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Lester's agents, who had invested thousands of pounds in miles themselves, earned commissions by selling more miles to unsuspecting customers, leaving them with no way to recoup their lost money.

       Eventually, victims began reporting the scam, prompting the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to alert Essex Police in July 2013.

       Investigators discovered that Lester had pilfered just over ￡400,000 over three years, with the 184 victims originating from the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan.

       In a bid to evade prosecution, Lester adopted various aliases, including Henry Lester, Les Richards, Lord Lester, Richie Lescovitch, and Barry Williams.