A grandmother saved up for her funeral only for her cleaner to steal thousands of pounds after her death, a court heard.

Widow Doreen Marshall was befrie-nded by Shilender Sahni who stole her bank card then took almost £2,500 from her estate.

Sahni, aged 34, was spared jail despite being told by Walsall magistrates she was close to going to prison.

Mrs Marshall’s heartbroken family discovered the money was missing from her account and alerted the police.

Mr Jason Corden-Bowen, prosecuting, told yesterday how Mrs Marshall had died on February 24 at her home in Bentley aged 65. 

He said Sahni befriended Mrs Marshall and offered to do cleaning work for her. When police were alerted to the fraud they interviewed Sahni and discovered the bank card in her possession. 

“This has been so distressing for the family,” he said. “Mrs Marshall had saved this money for her funeral and to pay for a headstone.

“When her family looked into her finances it became clear money had been taken out of her account for weeks after she had died.” 

Sahni, of St Anne’s Road in Willenhall, admitted 22 charges of theft between February 24 and March 31.

Mr Corden-Bowen said the pensioner had been suffering from alcoholism since her husband Mick died, aged 70, in March 2006. 

Ms Katherine McTieg, defending, said: “She realises what she did was very wrong. She is aware that if it was her mother or grandmother she would have been absolutely devastated.

“Her husband has left the family home and she has been left to bring up four small children on her own.” 

Magistrates gave Sahni an 18-month supervision order and told her to pay back the £2,411.55, plus court costs of £60.