A former Essex woman with multiple sclerosis who spent money she had been allocated for her care on her horse and day to day living costs has been given a community order.

Between 2015 and 2020, 41-year-old Lucy Melton received £68,000 in payments from Suffolk County Council which should have been spent on carers for her multiple sclerosis but was not used for that purpose, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Melton, 41, of Kingsbury Walk, Great Cornard, but formerly of Essex, denied fraud and making false invoices but was convicted of the offences after a trial at Suffolk Magistrates Court last year.

On Monday, March 20, she was given a three-year community order, a 30 day rehabilitation order and ordered to do 80 hours unpaid work.

She was also ordered to pay £10,000 compensation to Suffolk County Council.

Sentencing her Judge Nicola Talbot- Hadley said Melton had been the lawful recipient of direct payments for her care but hadn’t used the money for that purpose.

Laura Austin, prosecuting, said that when the county council asked to see what care she had received, Melton, who previously lived in Essex, claimed to be receiving care from a woman through a Chelmsford-based company called First Class Cleaning.

In November 2019, she had supplied the council with 11 fake invoices purporting to be from First Class for providing care.

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However, when the council attempted to contact the firm, the phone number given on the invoice was unrecognised, while the woman she claimed was providing care provided MOT evidence to the court showing that she had never visited Great Cornard to provide care for the defendant.

She also showed that she had been away on holiday during the period the fraud took place.

Miss Austin said Melton had a horse and had spent money on it although Melton claimed it had only cost £10 a week to look after it.

James Earle for Melton said his client ,who has no previous convictions, had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her early 20s.

He said there was no evidence of high living and although she had a horse it was 30 years old and had been put out to grass.

He said the money she received from Suffolk County Council had been spent on things such as day to day living costs.