NEWS 1


Karen Doyle sentence


● Two years’ suspended jail sentence


● £58,803 payback to Tui


● 250 hours’ unpaid work


● Electronic tag


YOU NEED TO KNOW


‘You earned £76k and still you did not live within your means’


Karen Doyle cried in the dock as her sentence was read out by Judge Richard Foster. She was joined in the


Luton court by numerous members of her family who sat in the public gallery. “It’s tragic to see a lady


of 49 deemed as good character before the criminal courts on such serious charges,” the judge said. “You have obviously


Former Tui manager Doyle given suspended jail term


Amie Keeley Luton Crown Court


Former Tui senior manager Karen Doyle has been handed a two-year suspended jail sentence after stealing more than £63,000 worth of gift vouchers to pay for holidays for her family.


Doyle, who was Marella Cruises


general manager of supplier management and ancillary revenue, issued Tui gift vouchers to herself over a seven-year period and used them to pay for holidays, including cruises. During her sentencing on


Monday, Luton Crown Court heard that despite earning £76,000 a year, Doyle “failed to live within her means”. Defence barrister Nicola


Howard said Doyle, who was at Tui for nine years, was “liked and respected” in the industry, having worked for Cunard, Thomas Cook and Royal Caribbean International. But she also said Doyle was a


“workaholic” and her actions were the result of “high stress levels”. Doyle racked up credit card debts of £40,000, which she kept from her family, and suffered with obsessive compulsive disorder. The fraud was discovered after


she sent an email to Tui’s Swansea office requesting to cancel a holiday she was due to go on. Doyle was told she could


reschedule and a partial refund she was owed would be issued back to the gift card she had used to pay for it. This was flagged to her line manager, who was responsible for


4 travelweekly.co.uk 25 October 2018


“Like so many successful people who seem to be in control, she wasn’t”


issuing gift cards to Doyle, and an investigation was launched. Doyle admitted to stealing


vouchers between February 2011 and February 2018, at which time Tui contacted the police. Howard said references


submitted by Tui colleagues showed they held her in “high esteem”. “Like so many confident, successful people who seem to be very much in control, she wasn’t,” said Howard. “She describes in her own words


feeling disgusted not only at what she has done, but what she is.”


worked hard in your career in the travel industry but you have thrown that away and here you are facing a custodial sentence. I am going to suspend that straight away and put you out of your misery. “You earned £76,000 a


year – a salary many would dream of – and still you did not live within your means, causing an actual loss to Tui of £58,803.”


Doyle, 49, who appeared in court under her maiden name, Mitchell, pleaded guilty to fraud during a hearing earlier this month. She was given a two-year suspended sentence, meaning she will not serve time in prison. A confiscation order was imposed, ordering Doyle to pay back £58,803 to Tui. She was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and issued with an electronic tag limiting her movements for four months between 6pm and 6am. A spokeswoman for Tui said:


“Tui has historically kept control of vouchers by restricting the ability to authorise their issue to a very small number of senior people. It is extremely disappointing to see this level of trust abused and controls have been further tightened.”


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