A DAUGHTER who conned her own disabled mother out of £5,000 after secretly accessing her bank account was slammed by a judge for her “shameful act of betrayal”.

Leah Msutu, 33, of Bevan Avenue, Tredegar, was acting as the carer of Lynda Iles when she started to swindle her last Christmas.

Judge Jeremy Jenkins told the defendant “you ought to be ashamed of yourself” for carrying out the scam after she pleaded guilty to fraud.

Lowri Patterson, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court: “The victim was out shopping last Christmas when her car was declined.

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“She contacted her bank and discovered that large sums of money had been withdrawn from her account.

“This was as a result of online transfers that had been paid into her daughter’s account.

“The victim is disabled and her daughter had been acting as her carer.

“She didn’t do online banking and the defendant had stopped her receiving paper statements so she was initially unaware.

“The defendant took the money without her mother’s consent.”

Peter Donnison, mitigating, said Msutu was of previous good character with no convictions recorded against her.

He told how his client had not spent the money on herself but used it to buy Christmas presents for family members.

Mr Donnison added that the defendant had suffered with alcohol-related problems and was seeking help from the Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service.

The court heard that Msutu’s mother did not support the prosecution against her daughter.

The defendant’s barrister said: “She is petrified of custody but is a woman who does own up to this matter.”

Mr Donnison said she was of “limited means” and was on benefits but was hoping to build up a client base with The Body Shop after she started earning £100 a month with them as a “consultant”.

Judge Jenkins told Msutu: “Only you know the motivation behind this. This was a shameful act of betrayal towards your mother.

“It was a gross breach of trust and you ought to be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.

“Had this resulted in a trial, you would be going inside to prison.

“Your mother, on the face of it, seems to have forgiven you.”

The judge sentenced Msutu to a 12-month community order and told her she must undertake a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

She must also pay £500 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge.