A former Monmouth Town Council official was ‘duped’ by a festival organiser into giving up her job with the town council to work for him.

Genevieve Barker was Events and Marketing Officer with the Town Council helping to organise events to promote Monmouth, including the subway project and the newly re-branded Church Street Quarter.

However, she was offered a job with the now-disgraced organiser of Monmouth Rising, James Kenny, which offered her more money than she'd ever made, as well as a pension and private dental and healthcare cover for her family.

He pitched his ideas to Monmouth Town Council’s People and Places committee who heard about his plans for creating “an entire village” to make sure the 3-day five-stage festival for up to 46,000 people on Monmouth showground went well.

At no time did the town council endorse or financially contribute to the event.

He said he was “committed to supporting the town with over 60 per cent of the commercial stands going to local traders and businesses.”

However the event turned into a fantasy for the man described by Genevieve as "a fantasist and a narcissist" and who still owes her £5,000 according to a BBC report.

According to that report, the marketing and events specialist from Hereford felt "lovebombed" into leaving her job in January 2025 to be head of partnerships for the festival.

"If you've always been working part time or a stay-at-home parent, this was the career move of a lifetime."

But after she started working for the festival, she said it was, "like a toxic relationship".

Information sent to the Beacon revealed that tickets were allegedly sold without approved or confirmed artists; staff were not aware of this.

“James Kenny failed to pay all suppliers, including website and email supplier. The website is no longer active and emails are suspended.

“There was never any capital to fund this event; if anyone researches Company's House they will find at least 11 failed businesses of James Kenny's all with this pattern.

“What was thought of as jobs of a lifetime and an event that would rejuvenate Monmouth has turned out to be a fraud. Traders were encouraged to follow up directly with James to get their holding fee refunded.”

Another business involved in ticketing said: “James Kenny has been the most unprofessional and incompetent supposed organisers I have ever had the displeasure of crossing paths with.

“As Weezevent, we did not have any dealing with any of the event finances aside from the ticketing for the general public - funds which I ensured I did not send to James, although requested by him, so I was able to refund the ticket buyers in full when it became evident that James' many lies had come to light. I can say with confidence that I have successfully refunded all 24 tickets sold whilst I have also lost out on my own invoice through this.”

In 2008, Kenny was convicted of two counts of fraud for forging his wife's signature to obtain a mortgage payment to clear £15,000 worth of debts.