A 46-year-old woman from Portsmouth, Hampshire, has admitted to one count of fraudulent trading after a local investigation into her business. Shelley Simpson appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on 25 February 2026 and pleaded guilty to running a scam that cost customers around £280,000 between 2019 and 2022.
Simpson operated through her company, Sphere Events Limited, which was the subject of a legal petition to close down in March 2023. More than 90 people made complaints after paying for holidays or events but receiving forged documents or having no bookings made at all.
According to Portsmouth Trading Standards, the business took upfront payments for discounted trips that were actually fictitious. This often left travellers stranded or forced to pay for their own rooms and flights because the company failed to pass the money to travel providers.
The case was built with help from the National Trading Standards Tri-Region Regional Investigations Team. Simpson, who lives on Westwood Road in Hilsea, is now waiting to be sentenced at a court hearing on 6 May 2026.
