Brian Cromby was recently charged with fraudulent activity against Jet2holidays. The Liverpool Crown Court found him guilty of intentionally and encouragingly assisting in the commission of an offense contrary to section 44 of the Serious Crimes Act 2007. Cromby pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months in jail.

Evidence showed Cromby had connections with fellow travelers who made fraudulent sickness claims against the British holiday provider. Evidence also showed Cromby advised two reporters on how to make a fraudulent sickness claim against the company. So many claims were made 2013–2016, a roughly 500 percent increase over previous years, that participating hotels warned they would withdraw from the travel company’s U.K. market.

Jet2holidays fought back against the sickness claims and hired private investigators to determine if the claims were legitimate.

“Jet2holidays and the Mail on Sunday have led the way to stamp out the scourge of fake sickness claims, which was criminal fraud driven by unscrupulous Claims Management Companies and individuals like Brian Cromby. We are delighted to see justice served today, and although we have already succeeded in changing the law to deter bogus sickness claims, we continue to investigate all claims robustly and the courts will very clearly not hesitate to punish anyone engaging in such fraud.” Said Steve Heapy, CEO, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays.