Jail term for ex-Baldwins director Ian Taylor


A former director of Baldwins Travel was sentenced to 22 months in prison last week after being found guilty of contempt of court. Jack Mason, chief executive of


Inc & Co, which acquired Baldwins in September 2021, and a Baldwins director until last December, was sentenced in his absence after counsel acting on his behalf told the High Court he “could not face attending the hearing”. Mason was found guilty on


July 31 of breaching three freezing orders obtained by Barclays. High Court judge Justice Rajah


ruled that Mason be arrested on his return to the UK from Spain where he is living. Mason will face separate contempt proceedings for breaching undertakings to attend the hearing. Fellow defendant David Antrobus,


Inc & Co chief technology officer and director, was also sentenced in his absence to 22 months for contempt. Counsel for Antrobus told the court he had been unable to board a flight from Ireland due to “a panic attack”. The judge ordered arrest warrants for both men. A third defendant, Scott Dylan,


described as a “person of significant control” in the group that owned Baldwins, also received a 22-month


Spanish floods spur relief efforts by travel firms


Andrew McQuarrie


The travel industry has responded to the deadly floods in Spain by contributing thousands of pounds in emergency relief funding. Torrential rain last week led to


the deaths of at least 218 people, including three from the UK, with Valencia the worst-affected area. Homes, roads and bridges were


destroyed as some places recorded up to a year’s worth of rain in eight hours. The Intrepid Foundation and


the Tui Care Foundation are among the industry bodies to have set up fundraising appeals to help distribute emergency supplies and support


4 7 NOVEMBER 2024


communities in their rebuilding efforts. “It’s amazing to see how the travel


community has come together to support Spain,” said Florencia Allo Moreno, general manager for west Europe at Intrepid Travel, who is based in Valencia and has been directly affected by the flooding. By Tuesday evening, Intrepid’s


appeal had raised more than £17,000. “All donations are going to our


local partner, Casa Caridad, which has been collecting and distributing food, water and other essential items to affected communities and will also be helping families who have lost their homes,” Allo Moreno said. Dumfries-based Border Travel


was among the agencies with clients in Valencia as the extreme weather began last Tuesday. Retail manager Gary Jardine said a couple were due to fly back to Manchester at 4.40pm, but they ended up having to stay overnight at the airport and board a flight to Stansted. “They were quite fortunate to


get out of the country before the full rains hit,” said Jardine, adding: “It was absolutely horrific to watch it unfold.” Idle Travel director Tony Mann


said the Bradford agency had given reassurance to “a few” customers who were concerned about upcoming


trips to Benidorm and Barcelona, with the latter destination having experienced flooding this week. A spokesperson for The


Advantage Travel Partnership said: “The devastating floods in Valencia and Barcelona have touched us all profoundly. These are not just cities on a map – they are vibrant communities filled with families and workers whose lives have been upended by this natural disaster.” A WTM reception due to be held


at the Spanish Embassy in London this week was cancelled as a mark of respect to the victims of the flooding.


travelweekly.co.uk They have


obfuscated and created false stories. They have lied to the court on a prolific scale


jail sentence having pleaded guilty to contempt midway through the trial. The judge found they committed


“a joint enterprise” to breach orders obtained by Barclays by moving two UK companies and their assets to the British Virgin Islands and then to the US state of Delaware. These included Baldwins parent


Inc Travel Group, with 100% of the shareholdings in Baldwins. Barclays had launched proceedings against the three to recover £13.7 million in “unauthorised borrowings” in 2021. Sentencing them, Justice Rajah


said: “The defendants have dragged this out for a year, and . . . the assets remain hidden offshore . . . They have obfuscated and created false stories. They have lied to the court on a prolific scale.” The judge accepted a provisional


claim for £1.5 million in costs from Barclays and imposed an interim order for the defendants to pay 60% of this. The main proceedings to recover £13.7 million are due next year.


A flooded street in Valencia on Monday


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Fernando Astasio Avila


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