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A woman from Bridgend has been accused of orchestrating a callous fraud by fabricating her own wedding plans to deceive friends and family out of over £12,000. Despite being ordered to repay £13,750 as compensation to her victims, concerns have been raised over the small amounts actually returned so far. Charlotte Blackwell, 32, was handed a suspended sentence in March 2025 along with the repayment order.
Upon hearing she would not serve jail time, Blackwell reportedly broke down in tears and agreed to repay the owed funds at £400 per month. However, her victims say they have only received £163 in total to date. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) declined to comment on the specific enforcement of the order, but described the offences as “heartless crimes.” By October 2025, seven months after the order was issued, each victim had only received £25.45. Since then, an additional £15.30 was paid to each, although no money has been paid in the last four months.
The four victims—Blackwell’s former fiancé’s mother Paula Thomas and three of her friends including Helen Morse—were defrauded between 2022 and 2024. Under the pretense of a wedding scheduled in Turkey, Blackwell collected nearly £12,700. Compensation was set at £3,500 for Thomas, Morse, and Sue Chapman, with £3,250 ordered for Tracey Roberts to reflect the extra distress caused. Blackwell also received a 12-month suspended jail sentence, 120 hours of unpaid work, and rehabilitation activities. Despite her barrister stating she was capable of repaying the debt given her job as an estate agent, victims remain frustrated over the slow and minimal payments.
Helen Morse, who is owed almost £3,500, expressed disillusionment with the recovery process, stating, “We’ve sort of given up because there’s nowhere for us to turn. It feels like she’s being protected rather than the victims.” She recounted how the fraud unfolded, explaining how Blackwell never purchased a wedding dress and eventually canceled the event citing illness. Morse went as far as checking with a travel agency, only to find no bookings had been made despite fake confirmations provided by Blackwell. The scam involved forged communications and fabricated bank transactions created to support the illusion of genuine wedding plans.
Blackwell’s history includes a prior fraud case involving a children’s cancer charity, where she dishonestly claimed her daughter required expensive treatment abroad while the child was actually in remission. For that crime, Blackwell avoided immediate imprisonment but received community orders and curfews. Her barrister noted the difficult circumstances she faced, including her daughter’s illness and subsequent gambling addiction, which Blackwell has since tried to control by blocking gambling websites.
The Ministry of Justice emphasized its commitment to recovering financial penalties and noted that enforcement can include deductions from salaries or benefits and seizure of possessions. They also highlighted that prison sentences could follow if fines remain unpaid with no other means of collection. Blackwell was approached for comment but no response has been reported. Meanwhile, the victims continue to seek updates, often receiving vague replies that their case “is being dealt with.”
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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