Curfew lifted for cruise conwoman so she can go to Mexico

A conwoman who swindled eight free cruises has been taken off a tagged curfew after just less than a week - so she can go on a three week trip to Mexico.

Kay Hooper, 58, was handed a suspended sentence and a six month electronically monitored curfew last week but returned to court days later to ask for it to be lifted.

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A judge agreed to her request after hearing the holiday had been booked and paid for by her frail 87-year-old mother who did not know of her daughter's fraud at the time.

Hooper's mum is too unwell to travel without her support and would have had to abandon the trip of the judge did not agree to lift the curfew.

Recorder Mr Timothy Rose said the request was "beyond irony" but agreed it for the sake of Hooper's mother.

He also added an extra three weeks to the end of the six month curfew to make up for the time.

Retired nurse Hooper, of Great Torrington, Devon, received the curfew and a 20 month suspended sentence when she admitted fraud at Exeter Crown Court last week.

She swindled eight luxury trips worth £55,493.05 out of Norwegian Cruise Line by creating a bogus travel agency which she used to book them.

She devised the scheme to take revenge on the cruise company after she was denied entry to a cruise which she had paid for after losing her passport in Rome.