A bride-to-be stole more than £11,000 that was in a kitty for her fiance’s stag party and left his group of 30 in the lurch when they got to the airport for the trip.
Rachel Doran, 32, had collected the money but did not use it to book their flights and hotels to the Spanish island of Ibiza as promised.
Instead the “deceitful and callous” woman pocketed the cash and forged a Jet2.com booking confirmation form as she kissed and waved fiance Chris Mahone off from their home before the stag-do.
Mr Mahone and 30 friends met at a pub in Cleator Moor, Cumbria, before arriving at Leeds Bradford Airport at 5am only to discover they had been duped into paying £360 each for a non-existent three-day trip.
They had gone to the airport on 6 September 2017 – just 10 days before the couple were due to be married.
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Mr Mahone tried to ring Doran but she did not answer. She rang back later “wanting to talk” but was told to “leave him alone and he wanted nothing to do with her”.
Gerard Rogerson, prosecuting, added: “He then received a text message stating, erroneously, she was pregnant.”
Mr Mahone said: “The whole experience has left me embarrassed. I trusted her, I loved her at the time and put all of my trust in her. I’ve lost confidence, I find it difficult to talk to women because I’m scared of getting hurt.
“I feel sorry Rachel took others’ hard-earned money, too.”
On Tuesday, Doran pleaded guilty to theft of the money and fraud by forging the flight details. She was given a 15-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
Doran, who now has a new partner and works in a factory, was also sentenced to 240 hours of unpaid community work and 20 rehabilitation activity days.
She must also pay £3,600 compensation to be shared between the stag party.
Carlisle Crown Court heard Doran suffered three miscarriages in the 14 months leading up to the stag do, and this may have affected her mental health and behaviour.
Kim Whittlestone, defending, said: “The impact on her mental health was significant.
“It’s clear they did have an impact on her state of mind. One can only assume as a result of these pressures she behaved in the way she did.”
Police found Doran’s internet searches included gambling sites, loan companies and a “fake ultrasound picture maker”.
Doran did not set out to steal but began dipping into the stag do fund, the court heard, until she became desperate, when there were loan applications and bets placed to try to get the money back.
Judge Nicholas Barker told her: “On the face of it you have acted in a deceitful and callous way. You must have known the theft would be found out and the world would come falling down around you.
“You did all this at a time you were preparing for your marriage.”
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