Lapland New Forest Scam. How to get money back...

barrymung

Ollsbols wrote: »

2 years and still not sorted. They will have spent all the money (£1.5million?) by now. .

At £30 a head that equates to 50,000 people getting ripped off...

...50,000 people who didn't read post number 4 of this thread!!

steve999uk

Hi all,
Trial has started, just been the main headline on local lunchtime news - the brothers deny nine charges of misleading customers through advertisements in newspapers, on a website and in flyers.

Steve

trisontana

BBC News article

steve999uk

The Mears brothers are claiming the attraction was sabotaged by media & "New Forest criminals"....... I thought they were from Brighton...

Steve

whitewing

And here we are in the Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336854/Rip-Lapland-theme-park-netted-brothers-1million.html

whitewing

And the Sun:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3266706/Lapland-brothers-conned-families-out-of-12million.html

And The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/dec/08/lapland-new-forest-christmas-trial

And I am assuming this is the Malcolm Gibney that is prosecuting

http://www.12cp.co.uk/barristers/?person=30

codger

Thanks to everyone here who has posted updates to this thread.

Though the old cliche about never judging a book by its cover has merit, one look at the cover of this particular book (and particularly, the Mail's online pix) certainly confounds that notion.

The fair-play maxim about innocence until proven guilty also applies, but with the Mears brothers -- at least one of whom was near to dying, last time I heard, yet now seems sufficiently (and miraculously) recovered to the point where he can drag deep on his fags again -- fairness is the last thing that springs to mind.

The pair are facing two charges befitting the staid language of jurisprudence.

That's understandable, but it's a shame there's nothing on the statute book about systematically robbing children of their dreams, or wilfully abusing the trust that exists between parents and their little 'uns.

I was going to say, I hope the outcome of this trial results in the Mears brothers being sent to prison. But that wouldn't be an honest reflection of my feelings.

What I actually wish is that there was a very large dustbin somewhere, one into which dross can be shovelled and the lid then banged firmly into place. As long as it was air-tight, I'd be quite happy for the Mears to carry on smoking inside it. . .

Retributional fantasies aside though, here's hoping that the outcome of this trial will be a little Christmas bonus for all those who suffered both emotionally and financially from one of the most cynically thuggish enterprises I can recollect in recent times.

davidlizard

How come the court case is being held in Bristol then? Why not somewhere more local to either where they live or where the offence took place?

Also, any idea what they will get if they are found guilty? A quick search on the internet indicates that "engaging in a commercial practice which is a misleading action" is £5000 maximum and/or two years. Is that all? Will they get to keep any of the estimated £1M they made from this scam?

whitewing

This article from last year states an unlimited fine or custodial sentence http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4581408.Winter_blunderland_boss_misses_court/

Presumably the trial is in Bristol as there is more chance of a jury unbiased by local reporting/connections?

Princess_Coupon

whitewing wrote: »

This article from last year states an unlimited fine or custodial sentence http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4581408.Winter_blunderland_boss_misses_court/

Presumably the trial is in Bristol as there is more chance of a jury unbiased by local reporting/connections?

Has the trial not finished yet? it's been over a month now