Paris, December 3: A British woman could be sent to jail along with her brother and six others for her alleged involvement in a holiday food poisoning scam in France. The woman identified as Laura Joyce could be sent to prison for an alleged scam which cost hotel groups in Majorca, Spain around 9 million euros. The owners of the hotels want the Laura Joyce, a mother of three to face six-and-a-half years behind bars.

Hotel owners have accused Laura Joyce of allegedly running an organised gang that reportedly hit three hotel chains in Spain's Majorca, reports Mirror.Co.UK. The 44-year-old mother has been accused of using of using middlemen to encourage holidaymakers to fake illnesses and claim compensation. Laura and her brother Marc Cameron Grimstead have been accused of forming the "profit-motivated organised gang". UK Shocker: Son Kills 61-Year Old Mother by Stabbing Her 100 Times During 'Drug-Fuelled Psychotic Episode' in Cornwall.

The brother-sister duo are now facing trial alongside six other others. Officials who are investigating the case suspect that the hotels that were allegedly targeted by gang were duped of euros 9.5 million between 2016 and 2017. The officials has warned Laura earlier about the possibility of receiving higher sentence if she is guilty of being the ringleader of the alleged gang.

The hotel owners even sent a seven-page document to the court outlining the requested sentences for each of the gang members. For Laura, the Majorca Hoteliers Federation have demanded a six-and-a-half year sentence on charges of aggravated fraud and belonging to a criminal gang if she is found guilty. The federation also suggested three years and nine months sentence for the six other accused for fraud. UK Shocker: Food Delivery Worker Sexually Assaults 93-Year-Old Woman Suffering From Dementia, Jailed.

As per the report, the court could pass larger sentences if its proven in the court that the gang allegedly managed to defraud the hotel chains of more than 400,000 euros. At present, the losses for the hotel chains is estimated to be 1.069 million euros. In its six-page ruling, the court said they convinced tourists to falsely claim they were ill during their stay in the hotel and should be able to claim compensation in the UK.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 03, 2023 05:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).