The Woman who Stole Christmas

20/07/2007

A fraudster who stole more than £1,300 from her friends leading up to the Christmas party season has been made the subject of a curfew order by magistrates.

The court heard that 58-year-old Susan Ford from Swindon had been an agent for Park Hampers, a national Christmas savings club, for several years. Her client base of about 14 people was largely made up of friends and family members.

Ford would collect money every month from her clients, before depositing it in the company's bank account to be saved up for the Christmas party season. But between January and October of last year she stole £1,375 worth of savings from four of her clients. She told the court she needed the money to pay off her debts.

Park Hampers refunded the lost money to all of the victims, but they did not receive it until March, well after the end of the Christmas party season.

Defending Andrew Hobson said that Ford was deeply remorseful and felt she had wronged the community as a whole, as well as the friends she had cheated: "She knows that to have done that and for it to have occurred at Christmas, when everyone wants to have a good one, makes it even worse."

Magistrates imposed a daily curfew order on Ford that will operate between 2pm and 10pm for the next three months. She was also ordered to pay £60 court costs and £1,375 compensation to Park Hampers.