Fake Wedding Con: Victims See Pennies of £12K Owed

Charlotte Blackwell, 32, from Bridgend, has defrauded four victims of over £12,000 by faking her own wedding to repay gambling debts. In March 2025, a judge ordered her to pay £13,750 in compensation and handed her a suspended prison sentence. However, as of October 2025, the victims had collectively received only £25.45 each, with a total of £163 paid since the order. This minimal repayment has left victims questioning the Ministry of Justice's enforcement efforts. Blackwell previously defrauded a children's cancer charity, Morgan's Army, of £4,000 in 2023 by falsely claiming her daughter required expensive treatment.

Between 2022 and 2024, Blackwell solicited funds from her then-fiancé's mother, Paula Thomas, and three of her friends for a non-existent wedding ceremony planned in Turkey. These victims collectively paid £12,682. The court ordered Blackwell to pay each victim between £3,250 and £3,500 to account for the aggravation and distress caused. Blackwell, working as an estate agent earning £1,700 monthly, was expected to manage these repayments. She had also previously avoided jail in August 2024 for the charity fraud, receiving a suspended sentence and community service, which she later breached.