Judgment day in the trial of three people accused of defrauding millions from holidaymakers is approaching after almost two months.

Christakis Philippou, 64, of Bark Place, Bayswater; Evangelia Liogka, 40, of Montpelier Place, Knights-bridge; and Timothy Entwisle, 57, of Lulworth in Dorset have pleaded not guilty to five counts of conspiracy to defraud by selling holidays they never intended to provide.

Summing up, prosecution barrister Martin Edmunds QC said the three were “deeply embroiled” in the running of five separate travel companies between July 2003 and August 2006, and described the trio as a team, with each playing a vital role.

He told the jury that businesses had repeatedly been set up to take customers’ money, and then fail, and that the three defendants were fully aware of and actively participated in the fraud.

Charles Garside, representing Philippou, and Ian Stern, representing Liogka, spent Wednesday summing up their cases.

Garside reminded jurors that the prosecution must have proved beyond reasonable doubt that there had been a conspiracy, and if so, that Philippou had been involved in it.

“He does not have to prove innocence – you must be sure of his guilt,” he said. “It is not enough to not like him or believe something fishy has been going on.”

Garside branded the prosecution case as “weak”, stating that much of it was based on missing evidence.

“There is a difference between a business failure and dishonesty,” he said. 

“There is also the suggestion that Philippou cleverly hid his involvement with these five companies, but was ‘always there’, in the words of Edmunds. 

“He was not always there, but quite reasonably showed an interest in companies he hoped to make money from by selling his hotel rooms.”

Ian Stern, representing  Liogka, claimed she  was a victim, “callously used by others” and “placed in a position of maximum exposure”.

“Looking at the evidence, her involvement is inconsistent with guilt,” he added.