Rogue travel agent jailed for defrauding high-profile clients, including Alexander McQueen’s former PA

Miles Caldwell, 47, a rogue travel agent, has been jailed for defrauding multiple clients, including Liz Linkleter, the former personal assistant to fashion designer Alexander McQueen, out of £155,751. He booked hotel rooms and business-class flights but kept the money.

Between February 6 and May 8 last year, Caldwell defrauded Linkleter and her events company out of £155,751 after he promised to book 73 wedding hotel rooms and related flights. He also defrauded Sahra Mirreh, a logistics manager, of £52,096 between July 17 and August 27 last year by telling her about airline-ticketing delays and creating dummy booking references to keep her off his back. He also defrauded events company Hudson Born of £5,012 between April 4 and 15 this year and Hippocampus Media of £55,800 on April 10. Caldwell, of Seven Stiles Court, Ranmore Path, had previously received two years imprisonment in 2017 on eight counts of fraud, with the latest offences continuing after his admissions to police.

"I am very angry at the way Miles Caldwell has treated my staff and I," Linkleter said. "We trusted him so did not draw up any business contracts when working with him, which I regret and have learned from. Financially, we lost out significantly although I was more worried about how our business would look if I would have had to cancel the wedding event and make clients aware of what really happened."

"Whilst under an immense amount of pressure I chose to show Miles a lot of grace and patience, not out of naivety, but in the hope he could get this situation sorted, carry-on trading and return the funds," Mirreh said. "Being unaware of the severity and enormity of his situation I just knew Miles to be an excellent travel agent and a pleasant person when communicating with him. This whole incident has left me highly stressed and I feel very angry and frustrated by the situation. I am shocked and stunned that Miles did this to me. I felt like he betrayed my trust. I felt like I had built up a good working relationship with him over the years, but now I believe it was based on lies. The incident has taken its toll on my mental health and has put me in financial trouble. The stress of having to relay what had happened to my clients and trying to find solutions to pay them back their money has been embarrassing and is likely to affect my business relationships going forward."

"Nothing in his actions displayed responsibility and I have no doubt he'd do it again," said Matthew Hudson, boss of Hudson Born. "I am lucky that my bank has reimbursed me."

Major gambling companies have contributed to a compensation fund and Liz Linkleter will receive approximately £15,000 and Sahra Mirreh approximately £5,000.

Recorder Samantha Presland said: "There's an element of not being able to stop himself. This involves huge sums of money, with sophistication. A pre-sentence report will not get him out of a custodial sentence. You have brought your overnight bag so are ready to face the music. You are clearly a very bright man."

The case underscores the risk of rogue travel agents in business and events planning, and the courts have stressed the importance of contracts and due diligence when outsourcing travel arrangements. Caldwell's 2017 conviction for fraud shows a pattern that prosecutors said has continued despite prior punishment.