Husband jets off to Egypt for holiday of a lifetime with his wife only to trade her in for a hot teen lover he met by pool
Married couple were looking forward to their five-star holiday before 19-year-old Sophie befriended the pair
IT was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime for Lindsey Cartwright and husband Gareth Owen.
But looking back at the sunshine snaps does not give Lindsey, 38, a nostalgic glow because her hubby of two years came home with more than just a holiday souvenir – he returned with a teen girlfriend.
Travel agent Lindsey, from Sheffield, says: “We were so excited before we set off for the five-star resort in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in October 2012.
"We couldn’t wait to spend time together.
“The day after we arrived we made friends with Sophie Cartledge, then 19, and her male friend. I thought she seemed lovely.”
Despite being over twice her age at the time, Gareth struck up a flirtatious friendship with the pretty blonde teenager.
Lindsey says: “We would mess around by the pool together and enjoy meals in the evening.
“But towards the end of our holiday I discovered Gareth had been texting and phoning Sophie since the second day of the holiday – I was devastated.
"We had a blazing row and Gareth tried to claim they were just friends – but my holiday was ruined.”
The break ended in tatters, with Lindsey and Gareth barely talking.
Lindsey confronted Sophie at the airport, but she insisted that nothing had been going on.
She says: “Sophie denied it all, too, but our flight home, with her on it, was mortifying.
“Back home, Gareth agreed to delete Sophie’s number.
“But we had barely unpacked when Gareth told me our marriage was over.
“He still denied it was because of Sophie, but I don’t believe that for one minute.
“As far as I am concerned Sophie, who he is still with, is welcome to him.”
According to Lindsey, she and steelworker Gareth continued to live together for a few weeks until he moved out in early November.
But when Gareth announced his relationship with Sophie on Facebook, he dated it from October 28 - while he was still living under the same roof as Lindsey.
She and Gareth had met 12 years earlier when her ex-husband, who has a daughter from a previous relationship, booked a holiday at the travel agents where Lindsey worked.
The pair moved in together two years later and wed on July 24, 2010.
RELATED STORIES
Sophie, who is now 23 and Gareth 41, said: “Yes, we did meet on holiday but we were just friends.
"We didn’t build a relationship until after Gareth had left his wife.
“Gareth and I are getting on with our lives. I have our baby daughter to think about.”
Dream holiday romance turned into a nightmare for hairdresser conned out of £50,000 by Turkish trickster
TAKING a trip to the Turkish resort of Marmaris five years ago, Debbie Bonfield never imagined she would start a holiday romance – let alone be conned out of more than £50,000.
But then hairdresser Debbie, 51, right, from Cwmbran, Gwent, met jewellery trader Ergun Tulek, 46, below – who introduced himself to her as Marco.
She says: “He was charming and I was swept away. When I returned home he bombarded me with calls, so I flew back to see him.
“Just a week after me returning to Turkey, Marco gave me a four-carat diamond engagement ring and told me he owned an orange grove worth millions.
“But he began asking me for money – to lend him some cash as he was waiting for the sale of two properties and his money was tied up.
“He also asked if he could used my credit card to buy some jewellery. He maxed out my card to £15,000 and also had £9,000 in cash.
“I gave him my jewellery, as he told me it wasn’t safe to leave it in my apartment. The jewellery was worth nearly £30,000 so he had more than £50,000 off me, all told.
“One night, I fell ill and I thought I was dying, as I was vomiting and passing out.
“The next day, Marco was nowhere to be found. I tried to use my debit card but discovered my account was empty, so I visited the jewellery shop Marco said he owned but he didn’t own it at all.
“They checked my ring and found it was imitation, not even worth £100.
“I reported Marco to the police and found out his name was not Marco at all, but he had a number of aliases.
Debbie said: “He began asking me for money – to lend him some cash as he was waiting for the sale of two properties and his money was tied up.”
“He wasn’t arrested – I don’t think they could find him – and I believe he is still conning women to this day.
“I later discovered he had seven children and was married. The whole experience was a nightmare. I’m still paying off debts. I don’t think I will ever trust anyone ever again.”
Dad’s Thailand holiday romance turned into a nightmare when his dream partner abducted their three-year-old son
SEAN FELTON thought he found the woman of his dreams in Thailand. But it turned into a nightmare.
Sean, now 45, met hotel bargirl Kim in Pattaya in 2005 and recalls: “The attraction was instant.”
They began dating and he made further visits to Thailand before bringing her here to wed in 2006.
But decorator Sean, from Cannock, Staffs, said things went sour after the birth of son Jobe.
The couple rowed and she abducted the three-year-old to Thailand in 2010. Sean says: “I went to my lawyer as I wanted a divorce and custody of Jobe.
“But Kim started threatening to take him away. And one evening I got home to find Jobe and her gone.”
“I called police and the Foreign Office but they could not help. I then had a call from her.
“She was laughing – they were in Thailand. I feared Jobe was in trouble but then lost contact. I paid for investigators in Thailand but in vain.”
Sean then traced Kim, now 37, on Facebook and, posing as a rich American, duped her into accepting his friend request.
He later sold his car and other possessions to fund a High Court battle to win custody of Jobe.
Seven months after losing Jobe, he then flew to Thailand to get him. Kim handed over the lad, now nine, in emotional scenes. Sean and Jobe flew back to the UK and Kim lost touch.
Sean set up charity abducted angels.org to help parents whose kids are missing abroad.
He says: “I’m determined to make others realise holiday romances can be so problematic. Me and my son had to learn the hard way.”