A Stewarton man has been found guilty of conning hotels across Scotland by making fake bookings for New Year’s Eve entertainment.
John Allardice denied being embroiled in the fraudulent scheme, which involved advertising musicians for hire between January 2014 and December 2015.
But Sheriff Thomas Ward found Allardice, of Bowes Rigg in Stewarton, guilty of the charge.
Allardice, 47, had advertised the musicians for hire for New Year’s Eve and the early hours of New Year’s morning and made bookings at multiple four-star venues – all to the tune of £6620.
Bookings were made with the Stonefield Castle Hotel in Tarbert, Argyll & Bute; The Auchrannie Hotel in Arran; Eight Acres Hotel in Elgin, Moray; and Tinto House Hotel in Symington, South Lanarkshire.
Yet Allardice had no ability to carry out these bookings and fulfilled none of them.
He was convicted of obtaining the funds through fraud and will be sentenced later this month.
