A Telford woman who swindled her former girlfriend out of £18,000 worth of premium bonds has been jailed. Hazel Robinson, 28, of Juniper Drive, Trench, appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.
Robinson admitted six counts of fraud and one count of obtaining property by deception.
For all the offences, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones jailed her for four months, describing the fraud as a “mean” offence.
Julian Harris, prosecuting, said Robinson formed a relationship with victim Caron Birks in August 2005.
She moved into Miss Birks’s home in Dawley but the relationship ended in December last year.
The court heard that on Christmas Eve, Miss Birks found out her National Savings premium bond account, in which she had invested £18,000, was empty.
Mr Harris said the money came from an inheritance and Miss Birks was keeping it for her children’s future.
In police interview Robinson admitted withdrawing the money by contacting National Savings, claiming to be Miss Birks and asking for cheques to be made out to her.
The court was told Robinson had the cheques cashed at a Cash for Cheques store, again while falsely claiming to be Miss Birks. The offenc es happened between December 2006 and May 2007.
Joanne Griffiths, for Robinson, conceded that by taking the money from her partner there had been a breach of trust. She said Robinson had a difficult teenage life, suffered from mental health problems and had never got over the deaths of her parents when she was 22.
Some of the money from the bonds was spent on alcohol, food and other items for Miss Birks and Robinson.
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