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Envious Ashington mum stole from her own sister
Green-eyed envy may have been the motive when a young mum plundered more than ã8,000 from her own successful sister. Louise Whittle - never in trouble before - launched her unlikely crime spree after getting her hands on sister Emma's cheque book.
The unsuspecting victim never realised anything was wrong, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
But finally she found she could not draw cash on her ATM card even though her account should have been well in credit.
Then she saw an old cheque book she had left at her mum's and became suspicious about the details on some of the stubs.
And when she asked staff at the HSBC in Gosforth to investigate, her 22-year-old sister's scam was at last exposed.
By then, the mum-of-one from St Nicholas' Close, Ashington, had forged 77 cheques to pocket ã8,083 in a fraud lasting more than two years.
Suspending a 51 week jail term, Judge David Hodson said: "What on earth persuaded you to do that I really don't understand.
"There are some suggestions in the pre-sentence report that you were perhaps jealous of your sister's success.
"Over quite a long period of time you defrauded her."
Judge Hodson also imposed 12 months supervision and ordered Whittle to carry out 120 hours unpaid community work.
He said her guilty pleas to theft, fraud and deception - as well as her previous good character - had saved her from immediate custody.
Whittle, a part-time worker living with her partner and their daughter, used two different methods to siphon her sister's cash.
She stole ã5,533 by paying forged cheques into her own bank account, the court heard.
Another ã2,550 was swindled by cashing forged cheques over the counter.
The HSBC has repaid the victim in full and may take civil action against Whittle to recover the cash, the court heard.
Judge Hodson told her: "Clearly you owe that money and it will be up to you one way or another to seek to repay it."
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