London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Dana Twidale: Wedding planner jailed for £57,000 fraud

Dana Twidale: Wedding planner jailed for £57,000 fraud

A wedding planner who conned would-be brides and grooms out of thousands of pounds has been jailed for five years.

Dana Twidale, 44, from Hull, fled to Spain after taking £15,000 from 24 couples for services she did not deliver between 2017 and 2019.

She also defrauded more than £42,000 from a man she met on a dating app, leaving him on the verge of bankruptcy.

Sentencing Twidale at Hull Crown Court, Judge Mark Bury said her actions were "callous" and "extremely unpleasant".

Some of the couples found out about her trickery via complaints on social media, days before their big day, while others only discovered they had been fleeced the night before their weddings when their orders did not materialise.

Twidale, who used the money to fund a gambling problem and a month-long holiday to Spain, also lied about being a domestic violence victim, that her mother had died and her brother had tried to commit suicide, in order to defraud people she knew.

One couple said: "I just do not have the words to describe how anyone with any morals could do this to anybody. I just cannot believe anybody could be so heartless."

The 44-year-old, who had a gambling problem, recognised her actions left all her victims "emotionally distressed", her defence barrister Michelle Stuart-Lofthouse said


Another couple, who had to sacrifice their honeymoon to pay for their wedding, said: "Because of Dana Twidale, I look back at my wedding day and, rather than thinking of the good things, I am constantly reminded of what she put us through."

Others said they "don't know how she can sleep at night" and described her as a "cold, malicious, calculating person who has no thoughts or feelings for other people planning what is the most significant day of their lives".

Judge Bury said: "Those frauds, 24 of them in total, amount to something in the order of £15,000.

"Not, in the grand scheme of things, a large amount of money, but to each and every one of those victims it meant a lot.

"The majority of them had saved and scrimped, gone without, to pay you to make their day special and you went off to Spain with the money, or to the local bookmakers I imagine."

The court was also told how Twidale also defrauded Nigel Wainwright, a man she had met on Tinder, out of £42,000, and Fiona Barker, a woman she met while working at a funeral directors that dealt with the funeral of Ms Barker's son, out of £650.

'Cunning and abhorrent'


Dale Brook, prosecuting, said Twidale "preyed" on the fact that Ms Barker's son had committed suicide by telling her she was in hospital after her brother tried to take his own life.

The claim "resonated" with Ms Barker, who pawned her phone to send Twidale money.

The barrister said Twidale told Mr Wainwright "highly calculated and emotive lies" - including exploiting his grief at his father's death with the "cunning and abhorrent" false claim that her mother had died - in order to extract money from him.

Twidale, of Newtown Court, Hull, pleaded guilty to 26 counts of fraud at a previous hearing at Hull Magistrates Court in May.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, defending, said Twidale accepted responsibility for what she had done.

She said: "What she recognises is that her actions have left all individuals emotionally distressed and with a loss of money."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×