His victims, who hailed not just from the UK but also, France, Australia and Japan, raised the alarm when they turned up for their holidays only to be turned away by their cruise operator. In 2013, the UK National Fraud Intelligence Bureau passed its evidence onto Essex Police, which opened a lengthy investigation into Lester’s offending. “[Victims] were tricked into committing more and more money to his scheme, unaware that money was going directly into Lester’s pocket,” said PC Leanne Smith, who has been on the case since…
