'Jail the woman who ruined my wedding': Bake a Cake bridal scam victim
A woman who had her wedding plans wrecked by a fraudster facing a jail term has said she deserves all she gets.
Katie Washbourne, 30, put her wedding party in the hands of Halesowen woman Lisa Holt's Bake a Cake firm after her sister found it being advertised on Facebook.
But the plans were thrown into turmoil when Holt failed to contact Mrs Washbourne and her husband Richard, 34, after they had paid her an upfront fee of £600.
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The couple were left to fork out an extra £2,000 than they originally planned after Holt did not contact them and they had to arrange the party at short notice.
Mrs Washbourne, who works for Acorns Children's Hospice, said she had organised the party in Birmingham for those who could not make the ceremony in Greece.
Mrs Washbourne said: "We got married abroad but because a lot of people couldn't make it abroad we had put Lisa in charge of the catering, the DJ, everything at the party.
"We paid her £600 up front and then we couldn't get hold of her. We emailed her once and twice and that was fine – but then nothing happened."
Holt, of Albert Road, Halesowen, admitted defrauding customers between May 1 and August 31, 2015 and making false representations to another company, Wowcha, on July 15 2015. She has been warned she faces a jail term.
Her husband Ryan, aged 41, and of the same address, pleaded guilty to money-laundering.
Mrs Washbourne added: "She unashamedly defrauded hundreds of brides out of savings for what is supposed to be the best day of their lives.
"She then showed no remorse at all for what followed after and lied to cover up her behaviour by trying to make herself look like the victim publicly, which further insulted us all.
"Lisa deserves a custodial sentence as I feel nothing more will ensure that she pays for what she has done and also send a message to other fraudsters like her, that behaviour like this will not be tolerated.
"She has not comprehended the damage that she has done to small local wedding businesses as many brides became very cautious about booking with smaller retailers and risking the chance of this occurring to them on such a special day."
Mrs Washbourne, from Solihull, said she had not heard from Dudley Council's trading standards over the complaint she had made about Holt's business.
A West Bromwich man who did not want to be named said he had recommended the company to friends – before things went dramatically wrong. He said: "How many things I have found out were actually lies upon lies and lies. She pleaded guilty to get a reduced sentenced when she realised there is no way out of it. I don't think she could have got away with it."
He said she was supposed to cater for his daughter's party but did not turn up.
